Kataang Week 2018
by TheBakingQueen
Summary: 10 years since Sozin's Comet, 10 years of being endgame, 10 days of prompts, 1 Anniversary: July 19th. Kataang Week 2018. Ratings vary but mostly are T for kissing.
1. Day 1: Mythology

**Disclaimer: Bryke own A:TLA.**

 **A/N: WOOOOO! Kataang Week/10 Days is here! In case you were wondering, here are the prompts:**

 **July 30th – Mythology**

 **July 31st – Ballroom**

 **August 1st – Family**

 **August 2nd – Affection**

 **August 3rd - Councilwoman Katara**

 **August 4th - Intertwined**

 **August 5th - Quirks**

 **August 6th - Desire**

 **August 7th - Midnight**

 **August 8th - Sacred**

 **The ratings will vary for this but will overall be pretty much a T. This is definitely only a T, but Quirks may be an M for adult themes(no outright graphic stuff) and character death.**

 **But anyway, here's the first prompt, Mythology!**

* * *

When Aang came back from feeding Appa, he was greeted with a rather hilarious sight.

His children, aged 4 and 9, seemed to be in a contest with their mother on who would relent first.

His wife, already in her maternity nightgown, was glaring sternly at her children while they, seemingly unaffected, were putting on their best pouts, while Aang internally laughed.

Aang eventually decided to help his wife and walked up to her, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

"Can we please stay up, Mom?" asked his eldest, Bumi.

"Pretty please with cherries on top?" begged his daughter, Kya.

"No," Katara said firmly, her 6-month pregnant belly jutting out from her abdomen.

"Daddy? Pleeeeaaaaase?" Kya asked once more, this time with the quivering lip.

Aang mustered up all of his willpower to not give in before saying, "Come on, kids, you heard her. Time for bed," as he ushered them to their rooms.

"Can we at least have a bedtime story?" asked Kya, adding her last resort, a lone tear, to her pout .

Her mother stared her down for a bit before relenting.

"Fine."

"Yay!" the children cheered simultaneously, before sprinting into their parents' bedroom for their story.

Katara shook her head and quietly said to Aang, "I swear, they definitely got that from you. I can never say 'no'."

Aang chuckled.

"Are you saying if I pout, you won't say no to me?" he asked, pulling her closer to him.

"Maybe…" Katara said, melting into his embrace, "but don't get any ideas."

"Where's the fun in that?"

Katara rolled her eyes.

"It's your turn to tell the story."

"And I know just the one to tell," Aang said, winking.

The couple walked to their room to see their kids already bundled up in the sheets, ready for their bedtime story.

Katara lied down on her side next to them while Aang sat next to his wife, his arm stroking her side.

"Daddy, daddy!" Kya said, "Can the story be mythology?" having just learned the word the day before and determined to use it as much as possible.

"Sure, Sweetie. In fact, I know the perfect story."

"Really? What is it, what is it?!"

"It's a story about a secret tunnel."

Kya's eyes widened in excitement.

"Tell us, tell us!"

Aang grinned at her enthusiasm.

"Once upon a time, there were two villages."

Aang used his bending to make a model of what was happening in the story.

"These villages were at war and hated each other."

Earth models of people fighting and houses on fire appeared.

Kya interrupted, "Just like how the badger-mongooses don't like the lizard-snakes?"

Katara chuckled, "Yes, Kya."

"Anyway," Aang said, glaring playfully at his daughter and relighting the fires in his model, "there were two special people from these villages, named Oma and Shu."

Two clay figures showed up on a mountain.

"Oma and Shu loved each other-"

"Oogies," said Bumi, pretending to gag as Katara rolled her eyes at her son's antics.

"-but their love was forbidden."

"Ooh," said Kya in awe, "but what does forbidden mean?"

"It means it wasn't allowed, like how you're forbidden to go on Appa without your father or me."

"Oh."

Aang continued with the story.

"Even though their love was forbidden, Oma and Shu loved each other enough that they managed to find a way to keep meeting."

"How?" asked Bumi.

"Love always finds a way," Aang answered gazing lovingly at his wife and stroking her cheek.

Katara smiled and nestled closer to her husband, her eyes closed in contentment.

"Oma and Shu managed to learn earthbending from the badgermoles in the mountain, and so they became the first earthbenders."

The figures on the mountain began to move in various earthbending stances and poses while the mountain began to shift.

"They created a network of tunnels in the mountain, so that only they could find each other."

"The tunnels were like a maze. If you didn't know the right path, you would get lost in the mountain."

"And the tunnels could always be changing too," added Katara.

Aang looked at his wife with a knowing glance before they began to sing.

"Two lovers, forbidden from one another

A war divides their people

And a mountain divides them apart

Built a path to be together

Secret tunnel!

Secret tunnel!

Through the mountain!

Secret, secret, secret, secret tunnel!"

Bumi and Kya laughed as they finished before yawning tiredly.

"Did they have a happy ending and get married with lots of kids?" Kya asked sleepily.

Aang hesitated before saying, "Yes. They ended the war and founded the city of Omashu," wanting to spare his children the morbid ending.

"And once they died," Katara added, "they were put in a tomb, called the Cave of the Two Lovers, where they could be together forever."

"Love is brightest in the dark," the couple both thought, smiling.

"And that's also where I first kissed your mother."

Bumi sleepily mumbled, "Oogies."

Katara shook her head before the couple both pressed a kiss to each of their children's foreheads before picking them up and tucking them into their own beds.

"Goodnight. We love you," they said.

Upon getting back to their bedroom and lying down, Katara sighed with exhaustion.

"That was a good story you told them tonight."

Aang smiled and lied down next to his wife, her back to his chest.

"Mhmm," Aang nodded sleepily, burying his nose into her hair.

"You know, when we were in the cave, that was the first time I knew for sure I loved you," Aang said.

"I love you so much," Katara said tiredly, her eyes already closed.

Aang smiled softly.

"I love you too, my Forever Girl. More than anything."

The two cuddled together in silence before eventually falling into a deep slumber, both having dreams of when 'Love was brightest in the dark'.

* * *

 **A/N: SO? What'dya think? Also, I literally did this last minute(last week). Talk about procrastination... The timeline that I used for this whole Kataang Week will be the same as for the 10th anniversary so it is mid-November to early December 114 AG(14 years after the war) which means Katara's around 29 turning 30 in the next month and Aang is already 28. Bumi is 9, turning 10 in January, and Kya is 4, turning 5 in February. Finally, PLEASE review! I think I speak for most of the writers on when I say that a lack of positive reviews is what kills someone's motivation to write.**


	2. Day 2: Ballroom

**Summary: Katara and Aang go to another one of the Earth King's parties...**

 **A/N: Day 2: Ballroom is here! Also, it's the last day of July! I'll be honest, I didn't really know what to put here so anyway...**

 **Disclaimer:**

 **Roses are red**

 **Violets are blue**

 **I don't own anything**

 **Bryke and Nickelodeon do**

 **Clever disclaimer, eh?**

 **ON WITH THE STORY!**

* * *

"Avatar! Avatar! Come dance with my daughter!"

"No, no! Avatar Aang, my daughter is _much_ more eligible!"

"But look at my daughter! Adorned in the best things money can buy!"

"Avatar! Avatar!"

Aang groaned.

It was another one of the Earth King's parties in honor of Bosco, where the 15 year old, much to his dislike, was forced to dance with numerous nobles' daughters in order to keep the peace instead of spending time with Katara, preferably in a closet, away from the party. Far, _far_ away from the party. And any annoyingly desperate fangirls. Even the Avatar has a breaking point.

Putting a forced smile on his face, Aang walked over and politely took one of the many girls' hand to dance. General Juzo's daughter Jitsuko if he remembered correctly.

"Ooohhhhh, you're _so_ graceful," the girl swooned as they danced together, Aang's movements contradicting her as they were almost robotic.

The airbender ground his teeth together.

"Why can't I just dance with Katara?! She IS my fiancee after all!" the Avatar thought furiously, trying in vain to keep his expression neutral as he continued to waltz with Jitsuko.

Meanwhile, on the sidelines, Katara found this to be rather funny. Watching her husband-to-be's struggle to stay polite brang her entertainment at his expense, knowing that Aang wanted nothing more than to join and dance with her and only her. It was only when his dancing partners got too close or started to flirt overly with her love would the jealous part of Katara make an entrance.

At last, after 6 mind-numbingly long, painful minutes to the young Avatar, the song ended. Everyone on the dance floor politely bowed or curtsied to their partners while some couples stayed on the dance floor and some left.

Aang was one of the many who left as he nearly sprinted to the safety of his fiancee, barely managing to keep himself at a swift walking speed.

"Have fun?" asked Katara, smirking as Aang walked over.

"Ha ha," said Aang dryly, wrapping his arms around her and finding solace in smelling her hair.

Katara sighed, accepting his warm embrace, and buried her nose in his chest.

"At least you got to do something. I had to stay here and talk to all the nobles' wives about embroidery," Katara muttered.

"I'm all for sewing but, spirits, how can someone talk about it on end, excitedly, for an _hour_?!"

"Have fun?" Aang mocked.

Katara just glared at him and shrugged off his arms as punishment.

"Come on, I was just kidding," Aang said quieter, kissing the top of her head and engulfing her in an embrace once more, not wanting to anger the waterbender more, "Let's go sit down somewhere."

The couple walked over and sat down at one of the numerous marble tables surrounding the ballroom in a peaceful, comfortable silence.

"What did you think of the party so far?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"Okay, I guess. At least you're here and provide some entertainment when you're with those girls. What about you?" asked Katara, smirking at Aang.

"Could've been better if those fangirls didn't bother me, but at least they have vegetarian snacks out here."

" _Just_ vegetarian snacks?" Katara asked, raising an eyebrow.

"And you of course," Aang amended, the waterbender rolling her eyes.

Katara leaned her head against Aang, deep in thought.

Aang decided to interrupt the long, pregnant pause.

"Maybe we should go-"

He was interrupted with a rather upbeat, familiar tune much like the one they had danced to years before but more elegant and waltz-like.

Aang grinned and glanced at Katara mischievously.

He stood up and held his hand out to Katara.

"Take my hand."

This time, undeterred by the crowd watching them, Katara took Aang's hand.

"It's just you and me right now," he whispered in her ear, watching her shiver at his husky tone.

The two danced a more elegant, albeit less acrobatic, version of their dance from the cave all those years ago, or, as Toph and Sokka had dubbed it, the 'Kataango'.

They go through sharp turns and swivels, spins and twirls, each move perfectly coordinated with one another.

By the middle of the song, they already had a large crowd surrounding them and watching in awe, while others left the dance floor to watch.

Before they knew it, they were the last ones left dancing.

For the end, the soon-to-be married couple decided to put on a little show. Aang twirled Katara just a little faster and longer than all the other times before taking her in his arms, dipping her, and kissing her passionately, which Katara eagerly returned, the cheer of the crowd blocking out Toph and Sokka's "Oogies!"

The entire ballroom erupted into applause and cheering at their performance as the two broke away from their kiss and got back upright.

Katara giggled as they walked back to their seats.

"We haven't danced like that in years!" she said joyfully,

"Tell me about it," Aang replied with a grin on his face.

Katara leaned her head on Aang's shoulder and sighed.

"Aang?"

"Yes, Love?"

"I don't say it enough but thank you."

"For?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Kissing me on the submarines, making me realize I love you, proposing, dancing with me that night, forgiving me after I made a mess of things... ...for absolutely _everything_."

Aang smiled and pecked her on the lips.

"I love you so much, Katara."

"I love you too, Sweetie, I love you too," as she leaned in and gave him a long, sweet kiss.

Upon breaking apart from each other, an idea came to Aang.

He leaned in close and whispered in her ear, running his hands up and down her sides and hips.

"You know... I saw a nice closet on the way in."

Without any further explanation needed, Katara hoisted Aang up hurriedly, and the couple excused themselves.

A few hours later, at the end of the party, when it was time for the banquet, the Avatar and his wife-to-be had flush faces, a few marks cleverly concealed with a collar and scarf, and wrinkles in their exquisite silk robes. Katara's hair was no longer perfectly in place and Aang was unusually jumpy when he got within 5 feet of Sokka.

Needless to say, upon seeing the incriminating evidence, Sokka stared down Aang the whole night with a glare that could freeze fire, while Toph and Zuko just smirked whenever they caught the eye of the flushed, embarrassed couple.

* * *

 **A/N: THE END! 2 days down, 8 days to go for Kataang Week 2018! Also, fun fact that I learned while writing this: fiance is for a man that is to be married and fiancee is for a woman that is to be married. Who knew? Anyways, please review!**


	3. Day 3: Family

**Summary: Katara considers herself to have a big family, but it started out small. How her family and definition of family has shifted and changed over the years. Katara centric.**

 **A/N: Day 3: Family! Because ohana means family. That was random but OKAY!**

 **Disclaimer: I own stuffed animals, a computer, books, and a mouse. That's it. A:TLA is not on that list. :(**

* * *

Katara considered herself to have a pretty big family, that much was obvious.

During her travels and 32 years of living, she had made many friends, and the amount of people she considered her family expanded drastically.

"But how?" she wondered.

"I started with only 4 people, not including myself," she thought, "How did it all change so fast?"

* * *

 _Loss_

 **Katara POV**

When I was younger, around 3 or 4 until the age of 14, my definition of family was just the people related to me by blood, which only included my brother, Sokka, Dad, Gran Gran, and Mom. I wanted it to always be like that and never change, but change is inevitable.

The first change that my family went through was losing my mother. I remember it like it was yesterday.

A torrent of emotions were constantly sweeping through me. I felt numb. I cried myself to sleep each night. I felt lost. I wished I had gone with that evil firebender myself, and saved my mother. I sometimes _still_ wish that. I remember that everything hurt, and everything reminded me of her, from the ice lilies that were always her favorite, to snowmen that reminded me of when we made them together.

Gone was the person who would massage my feet lovingly when I got snow in my boots and my toes were frozen, gone was the person who would always be on my side against Sokka and Dad when we had snowball fights, gone was the person who made Dad smile more than anything, gone was the amazing, loving person that was my mother. I always considered it my fault, my fault that she was gone, and had a constant fear that Dad, Gran Gran, and Sokka would hate me because I let it happen. It took years and years, until I was nearly 20, for me to realize that there was nothing I could've done at that moment to stop it.

The pain certainly didn't go away completely, but it did fade, going deeper and deeper into my mind until I almost forgot about it. Almost.

I missed her more each day; I still do.

And though my idea of family didn't change, my family certainly did. But together, we were able to get through the terrible disaster that fate had struck upon us.

* * *

 _Additions and Evolutions_

When we broke Aang out of that iceberg, and really got to know him, that's when my definition of 'family' started to change.

I remember thinking on Appa, after we left the Southern Water Tribe, that I was absolutely crazy. I had only known this boy for a few days and yet, I was already going on a trip to the other side of the world with him. I felt a incredible, tremendous connection to him in just a short amount of time and, like Gran Gran said, our destinies were intertwined.

I considered Aang my family even before we got to the first Air Temple and he went into the Avatar State. But that moment, when I called him my family, that's when I realized that 'family' isn't just your blood relatives; it's the people who you trust, who you feel safe with, who you can depend on. Aang was that to Sokka and me and we were that to him.

Over our travels, when we met Toph, Suki, and Zuko, after he turned good, they became my family too.

I could trust them during hard times, they supported me, and made me feel at home.

When I was little, my idea of a perfect family was much different than what it was right now. My 'perfect family' had been just myself, my dad, my mom, Gran Gran, Sokka, my husband, our kids, and so on. It was small, but close-knit and tight. Never in a million winters would I have thought that I would consider an airbender, who was also happened to be the Avatar, a blind earthbender, the Kyoshi Warriors, who I didn't even know existed at the time, or a _firebender_ most astonishingly of all, part of my perfect family.

My family had started to grow above and beyond what I could've ever imagined as a young girl in the isolation of the South Pole. And for that, I was thankful.

* * *

 _Third Change: Bittersweet Additions and Losses_

When Aang and I got married, on our 4th anniversary, in both the South Pole _and_ After Aang and I got married, we gained the 3 best additions to our family. When I first saw Bumi, our eldest, and held him there in my arms, tired and dreary from 14 hours of excruciatingly painful labor, I couldn't imagine a greater joy than welcoming my and Aang's child into the world, regardless of how hard it was.

After experiencing that 2 more times over, I felt on top of the world, as if nothing could ever bring me down from this joy.

Aang had made me feel complete by being my husband and the father of my children. All was perfect...

...until Tenzin was about 18 months old. Gran Gran and Pakku had died in each other's arms and I was unconsolable. I closed myself off to my children and husband and stayed in our bedroom all day.

I nearly destroyed our marriage by doing so, but at the time I didn't care.

But when Aang, Sokka, Suki, and the kids all talked to me that one night, begging me to come out and let out my feelings, I let my insecurities go and collapsed, sobbing in their arms.

But once more, they showed me that they were there for me, and they would help me get past any obstacle, no matter how big.

* * *

 **Normal POV**

Katara was crying by now, after reliving all those bittersweet memories.

"Creeaaaak," went the door.

"Katara? Sweetie, are you okay?"

She looked up to see Aang looking at her with concern in his eyes.

Katara wiped her tears away with her hands and then leapt up to embrace Aang, a soft smile on her face.

"I'm fine, Sweetie."

Aang raised an eyebrow at her suspiciously, joining her on their bed and accepting her embrace.

"Really?" he asked, kissing the top of her head.

"Really."

"What were you doing?"

"Just reliving some memories," Katara said quietly, burrowing her head into Aang's chest.

Aang inquired softly, "What sort of memories?"

Katara grinned.

"How I got the most loving, supportive, amazing family in the world," she said, smashing her lips to his in a passionate, loving kiss.

* * *

 **A/N: THE END! Also, so far I've been trying to make each oneshot at least 1000 words, so don't let that effort go to waste, review! There's this beautiful box right below where you can tell me how you like it!  
**

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	4. Day 4: Affection

**Summary: The story behind the term 'Sweetie'.**

 **A/N: Day 4: Affection. I'm out of ideas for what to put here. :/**

 **Disclaimer: If I owned A:TLA, I would make an entire comic series and TV season of just Kataang and the Cloudbabies. Sadly, such a thing does not exist, even though a good portion of the fandom wish it did. BRYKE! Hint, hint! *points to left***

* * *

It was a cold summer night in the South Pole. The moon was covered by a blanket of dark clouds, and the temperatures had gotten to below 0 degrees Fahrenheit, so naturally, Katara and Aang decided to cuddle together for the night, for body heat purposes only of course.

It was because of this cuddling to raise each other's body temperatures (well, Katara's temperature as Aang was already warm thanks to his firebending) that the young couple reminisced on how their terms of affection for each other came to be.

"Re-remem-b-ber the f-f-first t-time we called-d each oth-ther s-Sweetie?" Katara chattered through her teeth, snuggling as close to Aang as she could.

The 15 year old airbender chuckled and held his girlfriend tightly, before turning her on her back, putting her underneath him, and covering her with his body to warm the front of her up.

"Of course. The interesting part is actually I told you I loved you and called you my Forever Girl before Sweetie," he said smiling.

Katara breathily laughed before having a flashback to what he was thinking about.

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _" **Meet me at our meadow.**_

 _ **\- XXXX Katara** " _

_read the note given to Aang, signed in his girlfriend's (he couldn't get over the fact he was able to call her that) elegant script._

 _"I wonder what she wants," he thought._

 _The young Avatar called out to his friends who were staying at the Southern Air Temple for a bit to repair it, "I'll be back in a bit!" before walking out to the place Aang and Katara had dubbed '_ their _meadow'._

 _Aang had showed the meadow to Katara upon arriving from Ba Sing Se at the Air Temple, telling her that they were the only two that knew that it existed._

 _The meadow_ was _beautiful, of course (but nothing compared to Katara, according to Aang). It had a pristine lake, filled with clear, still water. There were a few ponds near the lake, with koi fish, and it was perfect for waterbending practice. The meadow itself was in a grove of trees, surrounded on all sides, making it nearly impossible to find, hidden from outside eyes._

 _"Katara? Are you here?" Aang shouted, his voice echoing in the vast clearing before him._

 _"Right here!" Katara called out, sitting near the lake._

 _Aang walked over to her spot under a willow tree on the lake shore and sat down next to her._

 _"Is there a special reason you asked me to come here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, "Or are we just having waterbending practice?"_

 _"Yeah, actually, there_ is _a special reason,_ " _Katara started nervously._

 _"Look, I don't know if I made it clear, especially after the play, but.." Katara took a deep breath, praying to the spirits that everything would go okay._

 _"I love you."_

 _Aang's eyes widened in incredulation._

 _"R-r-really?" he stammered, very much surprised by her confession._

 _"I mean, I thought you only liked me not..." Aang trailed off._

 _Aang took a deep breath now as well._

 _"I love you too, Katara."_

 _It was Katara's turn to be dumbfounded._

 _"Really?" she asked timidly, backing away from him, but a smile gracing her lips nonetheless._

 _A little overconfident due to the adrenaline coursing through his veins, Aang answered, "Really."_

 _Their hands reaching up to cup each other's cheeks, the two leaned in, slightly unsure, until their lips met in a gentle, chaste kiss._

 _When they broke apart apart after 8.7 seconds(yes, they counted), Katara softly giggled._

 _"And to think, I was so scared you wouldn't feel the same way," she said._

 _"Please," Aang started, "you're my Forever Girl."_

 _"Forever Girl?" she asked, her eyebrows raising in amusement._

 _"Y-yeah?" he said, suddenly very self-conscious about the nickname he had given his love._

 _"I like it," she whispered shyly, leaning in for another kiss._

 _When they broke apart once more, Katara was blushing shyly, wanting to ask something._

 _"Aang?"_

 _"Yes, Forever Girl?" he asked with a goofy smile on his face._

 _Katara smiled at the nickname._

 _"If I'm your Forever Girl, am I allowed to call you 'Sweetie'?" she asked quietly._

 _Aang grinned even wider at this, very sure now that he would never stop smiling._

 _"I don't see why not," he said, rubbing his thumb on her cheek before adding hesitantly, "if I can call you that too?"_

 _"I wouldn't be opposed," Katara said, blushing so hard she was sure she looked like a tomato._

 _"I love you," Aang started, leaning in to make their noses touch, "Sweetie."_

 _"Well then," Katara whispered, looking at him lovingly._

 _"I love you too," she paused, "_ Sweetie _," before sealing their lips in a passionate, much longer, to Aang's delight, kiss._

* * *

"Warm yet?" Aang asked, concerned, smiling at the memory that unfolded in his head.

"Almost," Katara answered, relishing in the heat he gave off.

The two lied together quietly, the only noise being Katara rubbing herself against him to get as warm as possible.

"Aang?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes, Sweetie?"

"Be honest. What were your first thoughts when I asked you if I could call you 'Sweetie'?"

Aang grinned and nuzzled her neck.

"Well, I suppose my initial reaction was shock. I was shocked that you wanted to do that kind of thing already, even though we had only been dating for a few weeks at the time."

Aang paused, a softer smile coming onto his lips.

"But after getting over that, I was mostly happy and excited that you _wanted_ to use a term of endearment for me. Even now, nearly 3 years later, it still makes me happy to no end," he finished.

Katara kissed his nose.

"Now _I_ have a question for you," Aang said.

"Mmm?"

"Did you ever think that I was," Aang paused, thinking of the right words to verbalize his feelings, " _overly_ affectionate with you in the beginning? With all of the hand-holding and random kisses?"

Katara giggled.

"Spirits no."

"Really?" asked Aang, raising an eyebrow.

"Mhm. I liked it when you were over affectionate. It was sweet. I always found it kind of adorable. You would get so flustered and nervous trying to work up the nerve to do something like kiss me or hold my hand, but once you did it, you wouldn't stop smiling at me."

Aang laughed softly, remembering one such instance...

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _Aang fidgeted with his robes nervously. The young Avatar had just started dating his longtime crush and the two were now taking a stroll in the park._

 _"Aang? Mind if we sit down?" his new girlfriend asked._

 _"S-sure!" he stammered, obviously very flustered._

 _It was a breathtaking sight to see the sunset from the Fire Nation Palace's gardens. The colors all blended together beautifully, creating an incredible scene which attracted young couple from all around the world._

 _Although Aang agreed that the sight was beautiful and romantic, he could not think of anything more beautiful than his love, who disagreed each time he brought it up._

 _Aang glanced to his side to see Katara staring in awe at the view, her face lighting up with joy._

 _Tentatively and hesitantly, Aang began to inch his hand towards Katara's, hoping to interlock their fingers._

 _Suddenly, Katara turned towards him._

 _Aang rushed to defend himself, "I-I wasn't doing anything! It was all.. MOMO! It was Momo's fault!"_

 _Katara looked at him weirdly._

 _"Aang, I was just going to do this," Katara said as she brushed a fallen leaf off his head, still surprised from his outburst._

 _"Oh."_

 _Aang thought, "Do you think Katara would mind horribly if I earthbended myself into a hole in the ground right now?"_

 _"Are you okay, Sweetie?" Katara asked, "You look kind of tense."_

 _"I'm fine!" Aang said a little too excitedly._

 _Katara raised an eyebrow._

 _Aang paused, knowing she could read him like a book._

 _"I just... I wanted to do this," he said as he slowly took her hand and interlocked their fingers bashfully._

 _Katara giggled._

 _"Is that why you were so nervous?" she asked with a blush._

 _Aang nodded, his cheeks as red as a tomato._

 _"You don't have to be you know," Katara paused, wondering if she should finish._

 _She said timidly, "I like it."_

 _"Really?"_

 _Katara nodded, embarrassed._

 _Aang squeezed her hand and used his newfound confidence._

 _"Then maybe we should do it more often," he whispered, before leaning in slowly to kiss her, to which she shyly but surely responded._

 _Needless to say, Sokka complained about many 'hand oogies' that day._

* * *

Aang yawned, sleep beginning to over take him.

"Katara?"

"Yes, Sweetie?" she responded quietly.

"I love you so much," he mumbled tiredly, the struggle to keep his eyes open getting more difficult by the second.

"I love you too, Sweetie. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

And the couple drifted off into a deep sleep.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, I get that that might be kinda confusing of how that relates to affection, but hear me out! 'Sweetie' is a term of _affection_ which is how the flashback came in, and then Aang asked if he was ever over- _affection_ ate, so that's how it relates. Anyways, review!**


	5. Day 5: Councilwoman Katara

**Summary: Katara attempts to put a ban on bloodbending.**

 **A/N: Halfway through at Day 5: Councilwoman Katara. For the timeline, in Korra's flashback, when Aang is 40, the prosecutor says bloodbending has been outlawed for 'decades' so I figure Katara is around 22 and Aang is 20. The rest of the timeline is the same as the 10th Anniversary timeline so Bumi is around 2 at the moment. Again, not canon but I like it better, so we're going with it.**

 **Disclaimer: A:TLA is not mine.**

 **ON WITH THE STORY!**

* * *

Katara took a deep breath as she went on the Air Temple Island Ferry with her husband. Today, she was supposed to go in front of the United Republic Council to convince them to put a ban on bloodbending.

Katara shivered as she thought about how she learned the ruthless, dark twist to waterbending. To this day, it haunted her that she had manipulated someone's _body,_ their own _flesh and blood_ , to her will, even if there was no other way to stop them.

"Katara?"

She snapped out of her reverie.

"Sorry, Sweetie. Just went into a daze for a bit."

Aang looked at her with concern and tilted her chin to meet his eyes.

"Hey," he said softly, "you're going to do great. The council is going to listen to you and then we'll go home and cuddle for the rest of the day. Hmm? How's that sound."

The Avatar pulled his wife into a gentle but comforting embrace in an attempt to soothe her fears.

Katara sighed and relaxed slightly at her husband's reassurance.

"I know, it's just-" she paused, not knowing whether to finish.

"I'm a _monster_ , Aang. I don't even know how you can look at me."

Tears started to pool in the cerulean depths of her eyes.

"What if they realize that and never let me see you or Bumi ever again? Or what if they don't outlaw it because they don't think it's a big enough risk and people get hurt? It will all be because of me."

Aang cradled her face in his hands.

"First of all, you're not a monster. _You_ were sorry for what you did and that just proves my point. Furthermore, _none_ of this is your fault. You are doing everything you can. And finally, what if they _don't_ do what you said? What if they see you for who you are, the kindest, sweetest, most loving person I know, and they ban bloodbending, saving _dozens_ if not _hundreds_ of people like you did with that Fire Nation village?"

Katara laughed a little, despite the tears running down her face.

"Always the optimist."

Aang grinned slightly and kissed her forehead lovingly.

"Better than worrying about every little thing and stressing yourself out," he replied cheekily.

Katara playfully glared at him as they spent the remainder of the ferry ride in a comfortable silence.

* * *

Upon reaching shore, the young couple leisurely strolled through the city as they made their way across town. They would occasionally stop at an interesting monument, where Aang would proceed to tell Katara all about its significance and history. Finally, after about 20 minutes, they arrived at their destination, Republic City's City Hall.

The two walked in the grand building past the rows of seats and intricate marble columns to see people getting ready for Katara's presentation. For this specific event, the council members had been replaced by their nation's leaders, and the head of the council was Aang, representing both all the nations as a whole and the Air Nomads. This made for 5 members on the temporary council, Chief Hakoda, Chief Arnook, Earth King Kuei, Fire Lord Zuko, and Avatar Aang. In addition to the international leaders, there were also many other important political figures, such as Toph, chief of police, and governors from the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation sitting in the audience.

Before reaching the U-shaped table in the front, Aang pulled Katara close and whispered in her ear, "Take deep breaths, Sweetie. I know you'll be _fine_. I love you."

He kissed her cheek and then went to his seat in the middle of the table, smiling encouragingly at her the whole time.

"He's right," Katara thought, breathing deeply, "It'll be fine."

Aang stood up and said loudly, "May I have everyone's attention?"

The whole room went silent.

"Thank you. Now, as you know, we are here today because Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe has brought up an important topic that could threaten the safety of Republic City. She will now inform us about said topic, why it poses a threat, and the reasons why it should be outlawed. Master Katara?" Aang finished, gesturing to her as he sat back down.

Katara took a deep breath, mentally preparing, her seriousness momentarily lost as she saw her brother's over enthusiastic thumbs up in her peripheral vision.

"The topic I am here to discuss is a form of waterbending call _bloodbending_."

Many of the people present in the audience turned their heads to see if anyone knew exactly what that was.

"Bloodbending is when someone manipulates the water in blood to make another move however they wish."

Many gasps were heard all around the room.

"It was invented by a Southern Waterbender named Hama."

Aang and Sokka both slightly tensed at the name.

"During her stay in a Fire Nation prison..."

A few of the Earth Kingdom nobles looked accusingly at the Fire Nation citizens present.

"Hama was deprived of water. She only was given enough to survive. Due to this, she was forced to be resourceful, and soon learned that every full moon, she could manipulate the prison rats' blood to make their body do what she pleased."

People started whispering to each other more.

Aang stood up once more and declared, "SILENCE!"

The room was quiet once more.

The airbender sat down and nodded at Katara, gesturing for her to continue.

"After many months of practice, Hama was ultimately able to manipulate the guards inside the prison, forcing them to unlock her cage and give her the opportunity to escape."

Katara took another deep breath and continued.

"Hama eventually settled down in a small Fire Nation village, and years later, that was where the Avatar, Councilman Sokka, and myself met her while on our journey around the world."

"But how exactly did you meet her?!" Earth King Kuei interrupted, his eyes darting around nervously as if Hama could come out of hiding at any moment.

"We were out camping when she found and invited us to her inn," Katara answered.

"Now, as I was saying _before I was interrupted_ ," she looked at the Earth King pointedly.

"After we went with Hama to her inn, she told us that she was a Southern Waterbender who had been captured by the Fire Nation."

"The night after, on a full moon, Hama offered to teach me what she called the ultimate form of waterbending."

Katara paused for dramatic suspense.

"Each month, on the full moon, she had been capturing people from the village she lived in and bloodbended them against their will so that they were trapped in the mountain. It was her way of exacting revenge on the Fire Nation."

The whole room gasped, aside from those who knew what happened.

"While the Avatar, Councilman Sokka, and I were with her, Hama used the power from the full moon and bloodbended the Avatar and Councilman Sokka t' other in such a way that they would've killed each other had we not been able to..."

Katara paused, not knowing how much to tell them.

"...had we not been able to stop her in time. We defeated her and arrested her while Chief of Police Toph Beifong rescued the people under the mountain with her earthbending."

"Bloodbending, as you can see, is a vile form of bending that causes an individual to lose control of their body. If it is outlawed, such a catastrophe can be prevented in the future. Thank you."

Katara bowed and took a deep breath knowing it was, for the most part, over.

She caught her father, husband, and brother smiling at her proudly and Katara felt a wave of relief wash over her.

Aang stood up to make an announcement.

"Now, Master Katara will answer any remaining questions to the best of her ability and the world leaders and I will issue a verdict with our evidence."

Katara turned around and faced the audience.

Only one person raised their hand, but this person, as she knew from Aang's description, was a particularly vicious politician who held a grudge against the Avatar and his friends for not serving justice as _he_ deemed fit to the Fire Nation.

Katara internally groaned as she asked, "Noble Yuanhen, what is your question?"

He laughed darkly before asking, "You said that you managed to subdue Hama _while she was bloodbending_. How _exactly_ did you do this?"

Katara faltered for a bit before collecting herself, noticing Aang and Sokka tense visibly.

"I bended at her while her main focus was on the Avatar and my brother," she replied, not entirely lying.

"But what did you bend at her? I would prefer details," Yuanhen said darkly.

Murmurs of agreement were passed around the room.

At this, Sokka stood up.

"Why does it matter? The main focus here is bloodbending."

"Ah," Yuanhen said, "If it doesn't matter, then why can you not give me a straight answer?"

Katara's breath hitched. She was trapped. She couldn't answer the question without making herself out to be exactly what she was fighting against, but in the end, she had to answer one way or another.

Katara took a deep breath.

"I bloodbended Hama."

The audience erupted into chaos, all yelling at her in one way or another about what a hypocrite she was and how she should be put to death for her crimes as Katara burst into tears.

"They're right," she thought, "I _am_ a monster."

Upon seeing his wife crying, Aang couldn't take it anymore. He got up out of his seat and held her in his arms, enraged that these people would suggest such a thing.

"SILENCE!" Sokka yelled.

He went up to the front of the room to address everyone present.

"I'll have you all know that Katara did what she _had_ to. She was _forced_ to learn bloodbending and if she hadn't done what she did, _none_ of us would be here. We would probably all be either dead, because the Avatar had died 9 years ago, or we would still be fighting the Hundred-Year War. If _any_ of you thinks that _that_ is a better alternative than _one_ individual learning bloodbending to only use it _once in her whole life_ , you can leave this room _**right now**_."

No one dared move a muscle. Even Yuanhen was scared out of his wits.

Aang held Katara closer to him as he gave a death glare to everyone in the room that had insulted her.

"Look," he said, "I have _never_ in my _life_ met someone as kindhearted or generous as Katara. She is _not_ the same as Hama, she knew what she did was wrong and cried for _hours_ after the incident. She wouldn't talk to _anyone_ for _days_ because of how guilty and ashamed she felt. I ask you all-"

Aang raised his voice tremendously, "WHAT, I ASK YOU, WOULD YOU HAVE DONE IN THAT KIND OF POSITION?!"

He then lowered his voice, his tone still just as angry as before.

"Would you rather let the world's last hope and your own family _die_? Or use bloodbending _once_ with the right intentions to save them?"

The people who had called Katara names and insulted her ashamedly looked at their feet.

Toph then spoke up.

"Look, I've know Sugar Queen for a while and let me tell you, if there was another way to do it, she would've. Because even at her worst, Sweetness doesn't want to hurt anybody if she can help it. If anyone has _any other_ problems with that, they are facing _**me**_ and can explain exactly why they think they are entitled to have an opinion on something that they don't understand."

The room was filled with a deadly silence before Katara spoke up once more, wiping away the last of her tears.

"Look," she said, her voice weaker and more timid than before, "I did what I did to protect the people I love. And the reason I'm trying to outlaw bloodbending is _not_ so that no one can stand against me-"

Aang, Sokka, Toph, and Katara all glared at Yuanhen.

"-but is rather so that I'm not forced to teach anyone else this cruel form of bending, and can still know that they will be _safe_."

Katara took on a fierce glare and regarded everyone in the room.

"If you think, even for a second, that wanting to know that my child will actually _come home_ is wrong in any way, shape, or form, _**leave**_."

"I am not answering any more questions, and I do believe that the world leaders have enough information to issue their verdict."

Aang nodded at the other leaders and shouted, "Dismissed!"

* * *

 **1 Hour Later**

The world leaders came out of the private room to issue the final verdict.

Aang started, "The council has come to a decision and bloodbending has been declared..."

Everyone held their breath as they went on the edges of their seats, eager to hear the final decision.

"...illegal!"

A collective breath of relief was heard as the room broke out into discussion of how the decision may affect the city.

The Avatar and his wife, however, were caught up in other things as Katara ran up to Aang and kissed him senseless.

Aang grinned as they broke away and pressed their foreheads together.

Katara embraced him tightly, muttering "We did it, we did it, we actually did it," in incredulation.

"Ready to back? We have the rest of the day off..." Aang said in a sing-song voice, his mind going straight into the gutter.

Katara smiled mischievously, knowing exactly what he was thinking about, as she dragged him off.

Needless to say, they were back at Air Temple Island in record time.

* * *

 **Late Evening**

Katara yawned as she stripped to nothing and joined Aang in bed.

She lied on top of her husband, skin to skin, as he absent-mindedly ran his fingers through her chocolate-colored locks.

"Did you put him to sleep?" he asked.

She snuggled up against his chest and nodded, "Out like a light. After singing him that lullaby, Bumi went right to sleep."

"Mmm."

"Are you going to say it?" Katara said abruptly.

"Say what?" Aang asked, confused.

Katara rolled her eyes.

"I told you so," she mocked, referring to the day's earlier events.

The young Avatar playfully glared, trying to hold in a laugh at his wife's attempt to imitate him.

"Please," he scoffed, "I'm much too _mature_ for that."

Katara raised an eyebrow.

Aang grinned.

"Well," he started, thoughtfully, "I _did_ tell you..."

The waterbender looked away in embarrassment.

Aang kissed her forehead and told her, "But I won't rub it in. You did good today, Sweetie. I'm proud of you."

Katara smiled, her cheeks tinted red, and kissed him softly.

"I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you for standing up for me."

Aang cupped her cheek and nuzzled her.

"Always. I love you so much, my Forever Girl."

"I love you too, Sweetie. Forever and always."

* * *

 **A/N: Okay! That is probably the longest oneshot you will ever get out of me so enjoy it. Also, according to Google Translate, Yuanhen literally means resentment or grudge which makes sense because, well, you get the idea. Anyways, review please?!**


	6. Day 6: Intertwined

**Summary: Katara realizes what Gran Gran meant when she said their destinies were intertwined. How her feelings for him evolved over time.**

 **A/N: Day 6: Intertwined! Italics are thoughts, bold (except for A/N's) are to give you an idea of the setting, time, etc. Feel free to PM me and tell me if I made any grammar mistakes with the tense. I was originally going to have this be past tense, but I realized Katara's thoughts would've been present tense so I had to change the _whole frickin'_ story. Anyways, enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: The chance of me owning A:TLA is the same and the chance that Sokka will ever give up meat.**

* * *

 **Katara POV (With Some Parts As Normal POV But Are Way Less So I Won't Bother To Put The Little Notice of POV Change In)**

 **100 AG**

 **Southern Water Tribe**

 **"The Avatar Returns"**

"Now your destinies are intertwined with his," Gran Gran says as we leave the Southern Water Tribe.

My eyebrows furrowed.

 _"Intertwined? I wouldn't go that far. I've only known Aang for a few hours, how could our 'destinies be intertwined'? I mean, we just have to rescue him, go to the North Pole to learn waterbending, and then we'll go our separate ways, right? It's not as if we'll get married, or anything drastic..."_

I shake the thoughts from my head, thinking nothing of it, and focus on getting Aang back.

After about 30 minutes of flying, Sokka and I see the Fire Nation ship up ahead and catch up with it. We battle with the crew on board, but manage to rescue Aang, encasing 3 soldiers and part of the hull in ice in the process.

Once we're sure that we lost them, we start heading towards the Southern Air Temple on our way to the Northern Water Tribe.

* * *

 **Southern Air Temple**

 **"The Southern Air Temple"**

We're on our way to the Southern Air Temple, and Aang seems really excited about going home. Sokka and I try to lay him down gently on how maybe the Air Nomads are extinct and not there anymore, but he isn't convinced.

We explore the temple, marveling in the fact that we are probably the first Water Tribe to ever be at an Air Temple, and eventually find a lemur, which leads to us chasing it, until we discover what I had been dreading the whole time...

There was a room, full of skeletons, and the one in the center, Aang's guardian, Monk Gyatso, evidently murdered by the firebender skeletons surrounding him.

Aang is devastated, and I pity him. This shouldn't be what he has to wake up to: him having to stop a hundred year war and the last of his kind.

His tattoos and eyes start glowing, as if he's possessed, and starts destroying everything in sight.

I try to calm him down, telling him that Sokka and I are his family now, and I mean it, even if I surprise myself by the confession.

I realize that Gran Gran was right in saying that our destinies were intertwined. Even after only a few days of knowing him, I care for him deeply, and feel a need to protect him from every cruel, evil truth of the real world. He already means the world to me.

* * *

 **Kyoshi Island**

 **"The Warriors of Kyoshi"**

The three of us decide to take another break on our way to the Northern Water Tribe, and are captured by a group of girls that call themselves the 'Kyoshi Warriors' after we land on their island.

At first they think we're Fire Nation spies, but after realizing that Aang is the Avatar, they let us go, Aang gaining the attention of quite a few people, most of them female.

Even if I didn't admit it aloud to him, I _was_ jealous of Aang and those girls, just not for the reason he thinks. I'm jealous because he's spending all that time with those girls, not because of 'how much fun they're having'. I don't know why the fact that he was spending more time with them than me makes me jealous, but it does, and I can't bring myself to explain to Aang why.

* * *

 **Earth Kingdom Village**

 **"The Storm"**

After a few more days, we arrive in a small Earth Kingdom village, where we realize that we're out of money for food and supplies.

The three of us overhear a fisherman and his wife talking about how the fisherman was willing to hire someone to do the wife's work when she refused to because of a storm, so Sokka asks if he can have the job of loading fish for the fisherman.

The fisherman makes a jab at Aang, saying that the Avatar turned his back on the world. I know that there are many others who think this way, but I can't help feeling enraged at the old man.

 _"How dare he accuse a 12-year old of betraying the world! Aang already has enough on his shoulders without the guilt from that and it wasn't his fault! Aang was my friend and I'm not about to let him be insulted or hurt by a random stranger who doesn't know a single thing about him or what he's trying to do!"_

Later that night, while Sokka is with the fisherman, Aang tells me about the day he discovered he was the Avatar.

I'm in shock at how, after his true identity was revealed, he was ostracized and excluded from his friends for something he had absolutely no control over. As if he hadn't been through enough, the monks were planning to take him away from the only home and parental figure he had ever known.

I know that it happened 100 years ago, and that it was the past so I couldn't change it, but at this moment, all I want to do was hug Aang and tell him that everything was going to be okay. _I'm_ going to protect him and keep him safe from hurt, emotional or physical, no matter the cost. He has enough pain and grief in his life already.

* * *

 **Makapu Village**

 **"The Fortuneteller"**

We arrive next in Makapu Village, a small village in the Earth Kingdom near a volcano called Mt. Makapu, and we hear of and meet a fortuneteller named 'Aunt Wu'. She can predict everything, from the weather to your destiny!

Sokka, Aang, and I watch Aunt Wu do a cloud reading, after getting readings ourselves, and she predicts that Mt. Makapu would not erupt for another year as the whole village cheers.

Sokka and Aang later go up to see the volcano themselves for some reason and according to them, lava is already at the surface of the volcano crater, and it's only a matter of time before Mt. Makapu erupts.

We try to convince everyone, but it doesn't work. The villagers trust Aunt Wu's predictions with their lives.

In a desperate attempt to save them, Aang and I fly up to the clouds on Appa, and bend the air and water in them to create the symbol for volcanic destruction while Sokka convinces Aunt Wu to do another reading. Aunt Wu, seeing the new clouds we made, amended her prediction, sending the whole village into a panic.

The three of us manage to rally up all the villagers, and create a ditch that acts as a barrier which stops the lava from burning down the village.

As Sokka I watch Aang keep the lava at bay, my brother comments, "Man, sometimes I forget what a powerful bender that kid is."

"Wait, what did you just say?" I ask, glimpses of earlier coming back to me.

"Nothing, just that Aang is one powerful bender."

Aunt Wu's words from the fortune she had given me enter my mind.

 _"The man you are going to marry... ...I can see is a very powerful bender."_

My eyes widen.

"I suppose he is," I say, wondering if my feelings for Aang went deeper than I had originally thought.

 _"Marrying him certainly ensures that your destinies are intertwined_ ," a little voice inside of me sings.

I blush.

 _"Not right now, not during a war."_

* * *

 **Somewhere**

 **"Bato of the Water Tribe"**

We're walking on the shore, when we find a Water Tribe ship, and along with it, Bato, Dad's best friend.

He invites us to stay and we catch up on what's happened lately, while Bato regales us with some of the many adventures he and Dad had in their younger years. He also tells us that he's expecting a letter from Dad soon.

Some time after, Bato takes us ice dodging, since Sokka never got the chance to go before Dad left, only instead of ice, we have to dodge giant rocks. There were a few close calls, but the three of us pass with flying colors, and earn our marks, where Aang got the mark of the Trusted.

Saying that he wasn't worthy of it, Aang reveals that he intercepted the letter from our father, a map that could lead us right to him!

 _"I can't believe it! The nerve of Aang to keep the map! How dare he! How could he?"_ I think angrily.

Sokka and I decide to leave him to go on his journey himself, while we find our way back to our Dad. Although I'm still pretty mad, I feel hurt and betrayed by what he did, but also guilty that, after all this way, we're abandoning him.

After a few hours of following the map, Sokka and I know that we can't go on anymore. Aang needs us more, and Dad will understand. We can't just leave Aang to finish the mission without us. Besides, there'll be other times when Sokka and I can see him again, when this horrible war is over.

On our way back to Aang, I think, " _If I don't want to leave him, even after he betrayed our trust, m_ _aybe we_ are _supposed to be connected forever..._ "

* * *

 **On the Way to Omashu: The Cave of the Two Lovers**

 **"The Cave of the Two Lovers"**

After Aang and I had gotten our waterbending training with Master Pakku in the North Pole, the next step was to find an earthbending teacher. While on our mini adventure, we met General Fong, who intended to exploit the Avatar State to win the war, not caring that Aang wasn't himself when he was in it. We got out of there as soon as we could and decided to head to Omashu to find Aang's old friend Bumi.

On our way to Omashu, we meet a group of nomads who tell about a pass that led to Omashu, a secret tunnel. We refuse, since Appa doesn't like going underground, but then out of nowhere, firebenders start attacking us so we make a split-second decision, and take our chances with the pass.

The nomads, Sokka, Aang, and I use a map that keeps leading us to dead ends, until a swarm of wolf bats startle Appa and make him run around when hot torch cinders touch his flesh, causing a cave-in which separates us, Sokka and the nomads on once side, Appa, Aang, and I on the other.

Aang, Appa, and I start walking blindly until we find a door. Appa rams into the door, forcing it open, which reveals a tomb of two lovers, with pictures on the wall which tell us their story.

"They met on top of the mountain that divided their two villages ..." I read aloud, marveling at the artwork.

The painting shows two figures, one in red, one in blue, on top of a mountain.

"The villages were enemies, so they could not be together... but their love was strong and they found a way."

"The two lovers learned earthbending from the badgermoles; they became the first earthbenders."

There's a badgermole, and two people creating a labyrinth.

"They built elaborate tunnels, so they could meet secretly."

"Anyone who tried to follow them would be forever in the labyrinth."

"But, one day, the man didn't come- he'd died in the war between the two villages."

The art depicts a woman alone, looking surprised, and then the same woman crying by a grave.

"Devastated, the woman unleashed a terrible display of her earthbending power- she could have destroyed them all ..."

"...but, instead, she declared the war over."

"Both villages helped her build a new city where they would live together in peace."

"The great city was named Omashu as a monument to their love."

" _Whoa,_ " I think.

Aang and I look at each other briefly before turning away.

I read the inscription on the wall, "Love is brightest in the dark."

 _"What could that mean?"_

I glance back at Aang and he looks confused as well.

"How are we going to find out way out of these tunnels?"

Like a candle being lit, an idea comes to my mind.

"I have a crazy idea."

"What?"

I suddenly feel very self conscious, thinking of the implications of my idea.

I walk away, "Never mind. It's too crazy."

Aang is insistent, "Katara, what is it?"

I sigh.

"I was thinking. The curse says we'll be trapped in here forever unless we trust in love..."

"Right..."

"And here, it says, "Love is brightest in the dark," and has a picture of them kissing."

"Where are you going with this?"

I blush.

"Well, what if we... kissed?"

I saw Aang's look of confusion morph into shock, as if this was the last thing he expected.

"Us? Kissing?"

"See? It was a crazy idea..."

Aang's face suddenly contorted into a dreamy, wistful expression.

"Us... kissing..."

Aang's mind suddenly filled with millions of scenarios where the two were kissing, some of which were not very appropriate for a monk.

"Us kissing. What was I thinking? Can you imagine _that_?" I say fakely, not meaning my slightly harsh tone.

 _"It's not a horrible idea and you know_ it!" my inner voice says.

" _Shut up!"_ I argue internally.

"Yeah," the airbender nervously and awkwardly laughs, "I definitely wouldn't want to kiss _you_!"

 _"Wouldn't want to kiss_ me _?! What does he mean by that?!"_

"Oh, well! I didn't realize it was such a horrible option. Sorry I suggested it!" I say angrily.

Aang fills with guilt and regret at what he said, his eyes evidence of his thoughts.

His apology, however, doesn't come out the right way either.

"No, no, I mean..." Aang stammers, trying to cover up his mistake, "if there was a choice between kissing you and dying..."

My anger skyrockets at that statement.

"Ugh!"

"What?" he looks so sorry and apologetic, "What I'm saying is I would rather kiss you than die! That's a compliment!"

I glare at him. If looks could kill, his _ghost_ would've already died twice.

"Well, I'm not sure _which_ I'd rather do!"

I stomp off, my inner voice still saying, " _Yes, you are sure. You would kiss him even if it_ wasn't _a life or death choice..."_

" _SHUT UP!"_ I yell at it.

I hear Aang quietly say, dejectedly, "What is _wrong_ with me?"

I'll admit, I feel a little sorry, but he would have to apologize _properly_ first before anything else happened _._

After some time, our torch is at its last leg, ready to burn out.

"We're going to run out of light any second now, aren't we?" Aang says to me, his face glowing in the dim light.

"I think so..." I reply, still slightly angry at him.

"Then what are we going to do?"

"What _can_ we do?"

 _"There's no other choice now!_ " my inner voice (which I was really starting to hate) sang.

I silently walk up to Aang, hold his hand, and lean in as the torch light faded.

Our lips meet in a soft, gentle kiss for a few seconds, before objects on the ceiling light up. We break apart, blushing and embarrassed as an uncomfortable, slightly awkward silence falls over us, our hands still linked, so we do the only thing we could, we stare at the glowing lights above us.

Aang is the first to interrupt the quiet.

"They're made of some kind of crystal. They must only light up in the dark."

Realization hits me like a rock to the head.

"That's how the two lovers found each other."

I gesture upwards.

"They just put out their lights and followed the crystals."

I followe the trail of crystals with my eyes, looking for where it led, until I saw an exit.

"That must be the way out!" I exclaim.

Aang starts saying something but I'm not listening.

"Let's go!"

I run off, Aang and Appa following closely behind.

Since I am slightly ahead of them, I have a couple minutes to reflect on the kiss we had shared.

I absentmindedly touch my lips.

 _His were so soft against mine._

I sigh wistfully.

 _Like a feather, or a petal._

I sigh again, confused.

Do _I have feelings for him that go deeper than friendship?_

" _Well DUH!"_ my inner voice says obnoxiously, _"You know you liked that kiss!"_

And this time, I don't argue.

Aang and Appa come bounding through the cave exit, startling me, and a few minutes later, we see Sokka and the nomads exit, riding badgermoles like you would polar bear dogs.

We briefly recap how we got out to Sokka and vice versa, excluding the fact that we kissed, say our goodbyes to the nomads, and start making our way to Omashu.

We finally arrive at Omashu, only to discover it covered in the Fire Nation insignia and under Fire Nation rule.

* * *

 **On the Way to Ba Sing Se**

 **"The Library", "The Desert", "The Serpent's Pass"**

A lot of things have happened since we arrived at Omashu. After discovering the fact that it was under the control of the Fire Nation, we attempted to find King Bumi who had been captured and taken prisoner. We were planning to trade the governor's son for King Bumi, but Azula called off the deal. We managed to rescue Bumi anyway, but he let himself be recaptured, telling Aang that he needed to find an earthbending teacher who 'waits and listens' instead of himself, the King.

We then ended up at a swamp which led us to Aang's earthbending teacher, Toph Beifong, a stubborn, blunt girl that Aang saw in a vision at the swamp. She started teaching Aang earthbending, which took a while for him to get, due to it being his opposite element. We also got chased down by Azula who was tracking us with the fur that Appa shed, and Sokka got trapped with a moose-lion cub for company.

After a few days of traveling like this, we all eventually decided that, to defeat the Firelord, we needed information. We encountered a professor, who told us of a spirit library, hidden deep within the desert, which has an incredibly vast collection of knowledge, just what we needed.

While in the library, Sokka, Aang, and I (books didn't really 'do it' for Toph) learned that there would be an eclipse soon, which would leave all firebenders powerless for all of 8 minutes. However, Wan Shi Tong, the spirit in charge of the library, got angry at us for misusing the information in the library, so he attacked us and started sinking the library.

Toph, who was with Appa, tried to delay the library's sinking so that we could get out, and in doing so, left Appa vulnerable to sandbenders, who took him away to sell. Aang, when we got out, was distraught over the loss of one of his best friends and hasn't been himself lately. I don't remember the last time I saw him smile.

The four of us eventually found a sandglider which led us to one of the sandbender tribes. Toph recognized the son of their tribe leader's voice as one of the people who captured Appa and Aang went into the Avatar State until I was able to calm him down. The guy who took Appa said that he was sold to merchants in Ba Sing Se, so that's where we're headed now in the present day.

We meet a nice couple who are about to have their first child and are hoping to get to Ba Sing Se before the baby is born. However, after we get our ferry tickets with Toph's passport, and meet up with Suki, we discover that the couple's passports and belongings had been stolen, so we offer to help them go through the Serpent's Pass to get to Ba Sing Se.

The sign in front of the entrance to the Serpent's Pass says, "Abandon hope," and Aang actually agrees, saying that hope won't get us Appa or to Ba Sing Se.

 _"I hate how Aang actually agrees with it and says that hope wasn't going to do anything._ _I hate seeing him like this, closing himself off to the rest of us and not allowing himself to feel. I wish I could just hug him and say that it will all be okay, but I don't want to have to lie to him, not right now. I just miss and care about my best friend. I want him back."_

* * *

 **Ba Sing Se**

 **"The Crossroads of Destiny"**

 _"No."_

I watch Aang slowly fall from the sky for a split second, tears flowing freely from my eyes, before using all of the waterbending power I have to catch him mid-air.

The world seems to be ending all around me as I listen for a heartbeat on Appa.

Nothing.

 _"The spirit water from the oasis has special properties_ ," I hear from my memories.

Without any hesitation, I take the vial, bend its contents out, and try to heal the raw, red, scarred skin on Aang's back.

I stare in horror as the water stops glowing.

 _"What if he never knows how much I care about him, how much I love him, how much I_ need _him with me?"_

I choke back a sob.

 _"What if he's...?"_

Suddenly, Aang's tattoos glow.

I hear a gasp and see him slightly open his eyes and smile, before slipping back into a coma as I cradle his body.

 _"Thank you, Raava,_ ** _thank you_** _for bringing him back to me."_

* * *

 **Fire Nation Town**

 **"The Headband"**

After the longest 5 weeks of my life, it finally happened. Aang woke up. However, to say he was shocked was an understatement.

While he was unconscious, Sokka, Toph, my Dad, our other allies, and I managed to capture a Fire Navy ship. We had been using it for the past couple weeks to stay under the radar and disguise our true identities.

Aang, Toph, Sokka, and I eventually separate from the others and take Appa down into Fire Nation territory. We make camp in a cave that's near a small town, and the four of us managed to snag some Fire Nation clothing which allowed us to blend in from a nearby house.

Since we're able to blend in, we decide to go to the market. At the market, some police accuse Aang of skipping school, because he apparently had on a school uniform, leading to him enrolling in a Fire Nation school and getting into a fight with one of the best students.

Sokka and I play, 'Wang and Sapphire Fire', parents to 'Kuzon', during the parent-teacher meeting regarding the fight.

Following that debacle, Aang decides that he wants to throw a dance party to show the Fire Nation kids how to dance and have 'real fun'. He invites a lot of his new 'friends' from the Fire Nation school, including this one girl, On Ji, who I didn't particularly like.

 _"It's because she danced with_ _him..._ " my inner voice says to me.

I mutter, "Stupid inner voice, stupid dance, stupid On Ji, stupid-"

I'm cut off by Aang smiling at me and offering me his hand.

"I don't know, Aang. These shoes aren't really right for dancing, and I-I'm not sure that I know how to-"

Aang just smiles and says, "Take my hand."

I take a deep breath and smile back.

"Okay."

Aang pulls me off to the side and whispers in my ear.

We start circling each other and performing the moves that we had been practicing recently, when I notice where everyone's eyes are.

"Aang, everyone's watching."

"Don't worry about them. It's just you and me right now."

I blush as we continue to go through the steps of the formation. Aang and I start to add some extra moves for flair, like kicks and flips, but end the dance with him dipping me, both of us sweaty and exhausted.

 _"You enjoyed it more than you should've,_ " went the little sing-song voice.

" _So what if I did?"_ I fire back, " _He's my friend."_

 _"But you want him to be more..."_

My eyes widen at the accusation.

 _"Don't play coy. Why else would you have been jealous when he danced with On Ji?"_

I feel the blood rush to my cheeks.

" _H-he's my friend and I care about him not getting his heart broken by a Fire Nation girl?"_

I knew I already lost. That's a pathetic excuse and even in my own mind, I don't sound convinced.

" _I'm confused..."_

* * *

 **"The Day of Black Sun"**

The day of the eclipse finally came. We are going to invade the Fire Nation, defeat the Fire Lord, and restore peace to the world. Simple, right?

I admit, I'm scared for Aang. He's been really sleep deprived lately, with the exception of last night, and has been having nightmares about all sorts of things (and one weird dream about living underwater).

My dad and Sokka just gave a speech on what is supposed to happen today.

There are two stages, one on land, one in the water. To get to the capital, we'll use these machines that are like underwater boats called 'submarines' in order to go right past and under the Great Gates of Azulon. After that, we'll have to get past the battlements and secure the plaza tower. The eclipse should happen soon after that which will allow us to easily make our way up to the Fire Nation Royal Palace where Aang will use the eclipse to his advantage and defeat the Fire Lord.

We get on the boats, which have the submarines below deck, and we initiate the first step of our plan, the land stage.

"There they are, the Great Gates of Azulon," my dad says.

I look ahead, only to find nothing.

"I don't see any gates."

My dad turns to me, "Katara, you and the swamp benders whip up a fog cover."

"We'll sneak by them statues just like we sneak by that Fire Navy blockade!" Tho says.

The swampbenders and I waterbend a thick fog cover, so that the Fire Nation, quite literally, doesn't see us coming.

"Keep it up, we're almost through!" my dad urges.

Out of nowhere, I hear a bell ringing, and see a huge net on fire, rising out of the water. I look ahead and see patrol boats heading towards us.

My dad yells, "Everyone below deck!"

We all go into the submarines as the Fire Nation soldiers search our boats.

The other waterbenders and I use our waterbending to propel the subs forward and beneath the gates.

 _"We did it!"_

The submarines have to surface once for air on the way there so the swampbenders and I bring it to the surface before we hit the shore.

Everyone went above deck to stretch as I see Aang joining us on Appa.

"So, this is it huh?" he asks.

My brother responds, "Are you ready for the Fire Nation to know the Avatar is alive?"

"I'm ready."

I watch as the two shake hands before everyone gets together in a group hug.

"I hope you kick some serious Fire Lord butt, Twinkle Toes," Toph says.

"Everyone listen up!" I hear Dad announce as we break apart from the embrace.

"The next time we resurface, it'll be on the beaches. So stay alert, and fight smart. Now, break times over, back in the subs."

Sokka, Toph, and Momo go down first, which leaves Aang and I standing together.

He turned to look at me and says, "Katara, I..." as I say at the same time, "Aang, I..."

"You go first," Aang tells me.

I take a deep breath.

"We've been through so many things together, and I've seen you grow up so much. You're not that little goofy kid I found in the iceberg anymore."

He blushes.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm really proud of you."

"Everything's gonna be different after today, isn't it?" Aang says sadly.

"Yes, it is." I respond.

"What if..." Aang trails off, "what if I don't come back?"

"Aang, don't say that, of course you'll-"

I'm cut off as Aang kisses me. I blush and watch sadly as Aang flies away on his glider.

Tentatively, I touch my lips, thinking of how _right_ his felt on mine.

 _"You liked it. We've been over this. You liked_ it, _you like_ him _, and you like the idea of being_ his _,"_ my stupid inner voice sing-songs.

Out of the blue, I hear Sokka asking, "Katara, what are you doing? It's time to submerge."

I'm snapped out of my daze and brought back to reality.

"What? Right, I'm on it," as I go below deck, still thinking of a certain airbender.

The invasion goes on as planned, with Aang heading towards the palace, and everyone else working their way up.

However, Dad gets hurt, and the Fire Lord is nowhere to be found. We have no choice to retreat as the eclipse comes to a close, but the subs are destroyed. The youngest of the invasion force go with Sokka, Toph, Aang, and me on Appa, while the adults stay back and let themselves be captured.

 _"_ _I hope they'll be okay,"_ I think as we fly away.

* * *

 **Western Air Temple**

 **"The Western Air Temple"**

After the whole situation with the invasion, Haru, Teo, The Duke, Sokka, Toph, Aang, Momo, Appa, and I make our way to the Western Air Temple. Appa gets too tired to carry us at one point, so we continue on foot, and find the Air Temple on the edge of a cliff.

Haru, Teo, and the Duke go off exploring, but the rest of us need a new game plan.

"We need to decide what we're gonna do now, and since you're the Avatar, maybe you should be a part of this," I say to Aang.

He sits down on a rock and says, "Fair enough. So, what's the new plan?"

"Well, if you ask me, the new plan is the old plan!" my brother says, "You just need to master all four elements and confront the Fire Lord before the comet comes."

"Oh, yeah. That's great, no problem. I'll just do that."

"Aang, no one said it's going to be easy," I say.

"Well, it's not even gonna be possible! Where am I supposed to get a firebending teacher?"

"We could look for Jeong Jeong!" "

Yeah ... right," Aang lies down on the bench, "Like we'll ever run into Jeong Jeong again."

"Who's..." Toph starts, having never met him, "Oh," she folds her arms, "Never mind. If it's important I'll find out."

"Oh well," Aang says, getting up, "guess we can't come up with anybody. Why don't we just take a nice tour around the temple?" as he and Momo fly off.

"What's up with him?" Toph asks.

Sokka puts his fingers on his chin, looking deep in thought, "There's gotta be someone who can teach him firebending."

We follow Aang after he flies off, trying to get him to focus, but he just ignores and avoids us, true to his airbending nature.

He's about to show us a giant Pai Sho table when Zuko shows up.

"Hello..." he raises his arm and waves, "Zuko here."

The four of us prepare to attack.

"Hey, I heard you guys flying around down there, so, I just thought I'd wait for you here."

Appa growls and licks Zuko, surprising Aang and Momo as Aang begins to lower his staff.

"I know you must be surprised to see me here."

Sokka cuts in, "Not really, since you've followed us all over the world.

"Right. Well, uh... anyway... what I wanted to tell you about is that I've changed, and I, uhhh, I'm good now, and well I think I should join your group, oh, and I can teach firebending to you."

Toph, Sokka, Aang, and I are thoroughly shocked.

"See, I, uhhh..."

Toph interrupts, "You want to _what_ now?"

"You can't possibly think that any of us would trust you, can you? I mean, how stupid do you think we are?!" I exclaim.

"Yeah, all you've ever done is hunt us down and try to capture Aang!" Sokka says.

"I've done some good things! I mean, I could have stolen your bison in Ba Sing Se, but I set him free. That's something!"

Appa licks Zuko again.

"Appa does seem to like him." Toph says less aggressively.

"He probably just covered himself in honey or something so that Appa would lick him. I'm not buying it," Sokka points out, suspicious.

"I can understand why you wouldn't trust me, and I know I've made some mistakes in the past."

"Like when you attacked our village?"

"Or when you stole my mother's necklace and used it to track us down and capture us?"

"Look, I admit I've some awful things. I was wrong to try to capture you, and I'm sorry that I attacked the Water Tribe. And I never should have sent that Fire Nation assassin after you."

Toph and Sokka's eyes widen.

"I'm going to try and stop-"

My brother pulls out his boomerang, furious, "Wait, you sent Combustion Man after us?"

"Well, that's not his name, but-"

"Ohhh, sorry. I didn't mean to insult your friend!"

"He's not my friend!"

Toph yells, "That guy locked me and Katara in jail and tried to blow us all up!"

Zuko turns to Aang.

"Why aren't you saying anything? You once said you thought we could be friends. You know I have good in me."

Aang turns to us as Sokka shakes his head.

"There's no way we can trust you after everything you've done. We'll never let you join us."

"You need to get out of here," I say, ready to attack if the situation calls for it, "Now."

"I'm trying to explain that I'm not that person anymore!"

"Either you leave, or we attack."

"If you won't accept me as a friend, then maybe you'll take me as a prisoner."

He kneels, bends his head downwards, and holds out his arms in surrender.

"No, we won't!"

I blast water at Zuko.

"Get out of here, and don't come back!" I yell, "And if we ever see you again, well, we'd better not see you again!"

The four of us watch as he walks away.

 _"The nerve of that guy! Thinking we would forgive him for all that he's done and believe his lies!"_ I think angrily.

I demand, "Why would he try to fool us like that?"

"Obviously he wants to lead us into some kind of trap," Sokka says.

 _"He just tries to make you feel sorry for him, let your guard down, and then strike, just like in Ba Sing Se!"_

Aang interrupts Sokka and I ranting about how evil Zuko is.

"I kind of have a confession to make," he starts, "Remember when you two were sick and I got captured by Zhao?"

Sokka asks angrily, "And you made us suck on frozen frogs? How could I forget? I had a wart on the flap that hangs down from the back of my throat for a month!"

"Sokka," I begin exasperatedly, "I looked at it, and I told you, there was nothing there!"

"I could feel it! It's my throatal flap!"

"Anyway," Aang continues, "when Zhao had me chained up, it was Zuko who came in and got me out. He risked his life to save me."

"No way! I'm sure he only did it so he could capture you himself!" I argue.

"Yeah, face it Aang, you're nothing but a big prize to him," Sokka adds.

"You're probably right."

"And what was all that crazy stuff about setting Appa free? What a liar!"

"Actually, he wasn't lying," Toph cuts in.

"Oh, hooray! In a lifetime of evil, at least he didn't add animal cruelty to the list."

"I'm just saying that, considering his messed-up family and how he was raised, he could have turned out a lot worse."

"You're right, Toph! Let's go find him and give him a medal. The "not as much of a jerk as you could have been" award!" I say dryly.

"All I know is that while he was talking to us, he was sincere. Maybe you're all just letting your hurt feelings keep you from thinking clearly."

"Easy for you to say! You weren't there when he had us attacked by pirates!"

"Or when he burned down Kyoshi Island!" Sokka added.

"Or when he tried to capture me at the Fire Temple!"

"Why would you even try to defend him?" I exclaim.

"Because Katara, you're all ignoring one crucial fact!"

Toph pokes Aang in the chest.

"Aang needs a firebending teacher! We can't think of a single person in the world to do the job! Now one shows up on a silver platter, and you won't even think about it?"

She stomps her feet on the ground.

"I'm _not_ having Zuko as my teacher!"

"You're darn right you're not, buddy."

"Well, I guess that settles that."

"Ergh! I'm beginning to wonder who's really the blind one around here!" as she turns around and walks away.

The next day at breakfast, I notice Toph hasn't come back.

No one else had seen her since the day before, so we all decide to go look for her.

While searching for her, we suddenly hear a large rumble, and out comes Toph from a hole she earthbended in the wall.

"What happened?" I ask worriedly, noticing how she's crawling.

"My feet got burned!"

"Oh no, what happened?"

"I just told you, my feet got burned!"

"I meant how."

"Well, I kind of went to see Zuko last night," Toph admits sheepishly.

There is a split second of silence before everyone starts yelling at the same time.

"You what?"

"Zuko?"

"Uhhh...!"

Toph reveals that she thought he could be helpful and that we could work something out, while I try to heal her feet.

"So he attacked you?" Sokka asks.

"Well, he did, and he didn't. It was sort of an accident."

"But he did firebend at you?" Aang inquires.

Toph sighs, "Yes."

"See? You trusted Zuko, and you got burned. Literally!"

Sokka and Aang decide that we have to go after Zuko because he's too dangerous to be left alone. The plan, according to Sokka, is to get Zuko to offer himself as prisoner but _actually_ take him as a prisoner this time.

"You are a master of surprise, Sokka..." I comment sarcastically as they both carry Toph to the fountain.

"Ahhh, that's the stuff," she says as her feet are dipped into the water.

Suddenly, out of the blue, we hear an explosion and Zuko shouting, "Stop!"

We run away, Sokka and Aang carrying Toph, and hear in the distance Zuko yelling at Combustion Man to stop as Combustion Man continues to attack.

Aang stands up from behind the fountain pool, runs to the side, and airbends with a spinning back kick, jumping right before the ground underneath him explodes. Aang continues to airbend at Combustion Man, leaping and narrowly missing each exploding ledge before going to a new one.

Before long, I join the foray, bending waves and icicles at our attacker, but even with our double attacks, nothing seems to be fazing Combustion Man.

Eventually, both Aang and I are forced to retreat behind a wall, out of sight.

"He's going to blast this whole place right off the cliff side!" Toph yells.

I peek out from behind the wall only to see another blast.

Sokka pauses, thinking for a moment, before his face lights up.

He takes out his boomerang, sneaks his head out beyond the protection of the wall, aims the weapon, and throws it, hitting Combustion Man's third eye tattoo head on, causing him to collapse on the ground.

"Yeah, boomerang!" Sokka shouts as he jumps and grabs it, before Combustion Man gets up, visibly shaken.

"Awww, boomerang..."

The four of us run back to our hiding spot, but this time, something is different with Combustion Man. When he tries to fire his next shot, he causes an explosion around himself, destroying the building he was standing on.

Joined by Haru, Teo, and the Duke, all seven of us watch the aftermath of what just transpired in shock.

Later, Zuko approaches us again, asking for another chance.

"Listen, I know I didn't explain myself very well yesterday, I've been through a lot in the last few years and it's been hard. But I'm realizing that I had to go through all those things to learn the truth. I thought I had lost my honor, and that somehow, my father could return it to me. But I know now that no one can give you your honor. It's something you earn for yourself, by choosing to do what's right. All I want to do now is play my part in ending this war, and I know my destiny is to help you restore balance to the world."

He turns to Toph.

 _"_ I'm sorry for what I did to you. It was an accident. Fire can be dangerous and wild, so as a firebender, I need to be more careful and control my bending, so I don't hurt people unintentionally."

Aang stares at Zuko in shock, before taking a minute to think.

"I think you _are_ supposed to be my firebending teacher. When I first tried to learn firebending, I burned Katara, and after that, I never wanted to firebend again. But now I know you understand how easy it is to hurt the people you love. I'd like you to teach me."

The two bow to each other.

"Thank you. I'm so happy you've accepted me into your group."

"Not so fast," Aang says,"I still have to ask my friends if it's okay with them."

He looks at Toph.

"Toph, you're the one that Zuko burned. What do you think?"

"Go ahead and let him join."

She pounds her fist into her palm.

"It'll give me plenty of time to get back at him for burning my feet."

Aang looks at my brother.

"Sokka?"

"Hey, all I want is to defeat the Fire Lord. If you think this is the way to do it, then, I'm all for it."

Aang approaches me last.

 _"_ Katara?"

I glare at Zuko for a moment, before saying reluctantly, "I'll go along with whatever you think is right."

Aang smiles as Zuko approaches the group excitedly.

"I won't let you down! I promise!

After some time, I decide I need to make a few things _very_ clear to Zuko.

I approach his room and stand in the doorway threateningly.

"You might have everyone else here buying your..." I try to think of the right word,"...transformation, but you and I both know you've struggled with doing the right thing in the past."

I walk closer to him, trying to look intimidating.

"So let me tell you something, right now. You make one step backward, one slip-up, give me one reason to think you might hurt Aang, and you won't have to worry about your destiny anymore. Because I'll make sure your destiny ends... right then and there. Permanently."

I walk away and slam the door.

 _"_ _No one hurts Aang. Not if I have anything to say about it,"_ I think fiercely.

* * *

 **Ember Island**

 **"The Ember Island Players"**

The now five members of our group decide that we need to lay low for a while, and stay in Zuko's family's vacation home on Ember Island.

We all settle in, and Sokka and Suki go to town. When they come back, they show us a poster for the play 'The Boy In the Iceberg", by the playwright Pu-On Tim, performed by the 'critically acclaimed' Ember Island Players.

"Sokka, do you really think it's a good idea to attend a play about ourselves?" I ask skeptically.

"Come on, a day at the theater? This is the kind of wacky time-wasting nonsense I've been missing!" he responds.

The six of us eventually all decide that we need a break, so that night, we head to the theater to watch the play, Aang wearing a hat to cover his tattoos.

We all get comfortable, Zuko, Toph, Aang, and I in the first row, Sokka and Suki behind us, and the play begins.

The curtain rises to reveal something that I assume is to be the Southern Seas near the South Pole, the actor versions of Sokka and I rowing a boat.

Actress Me sighs.

"Sokka, my only brother! We constantly roam these icy South Pole seas, and yet never do we find anything fulfilling!"

"All I want is a full feeling in my stomach! I'm starving!"

 _"We don't sound like that!"_

The rest of the audience laughs, as Sokka and I look at each other, wondering if that's what we're really like.

I try to watch the rest of the play, but it very quickly becomes _very_ difficult, with Actress Me going on and on about hope.

"Every day, the world awaits a beacon to guide us, yet none appears! Still, we cannot give up hope! For hope, is all we have! And we must never relinquish it, even... even to our dying breath!"

I hear Suki try to supress a snicker, while Sokka looks over at me with an amused smile.

 _"I DON'T SOUND LIKE THAT!"_ I think angrily.

The scene changes to a model iceberg with a shadow behind it.

I see Aang smile as he leans forward in his seat, eagerly waiting for his entrance.

"Waterbend! Hi-yah!" Actress Me yells, doing a karate chop as the prop iceberg splits in half.

I watch the play version of Aang coming out of the iceberg, and _try_ to stifle my laughter.

The girl trying to play him winks and poses, seemingly bald with arrows and wearing an excessive amount of blush.

Aang briefly closes his eyes, before cringing, eyes bugging out.

"Wait, is that a woman playing me?" he asks.

Actress Me gasps.

"An airbender! My heart is so full of hope, that it's making me tearbend!"

The play continues to go through a few more of our adventures, including Kyoshi Island, Omashu, Jet, and the Northern Water Tribe, making everyone in our group who appeared so far cringe at the depictions until it was finally time for the intermission.

"So far, this intermission is the best part of the play," Zuko says.

 _"No argument here."_

"At least the Sokka actor kind of looks like you!" Aang says angrily, "That woman playing the Avatar doesn't resemble me at all!"

"I don't know, you are more in touch with you feminine side than most guys," Toph says, not helping things one bit.

Aang stands up.

"Argh!"

"Relax, Aang," I start, "They're not accurate portrayals. It's not like I'm a preachy crybaby who can't resist giving overemotional speeches about hope all the time."

Everyone stares at me.

"What?"

Aang says sarcastically, "Yeah, that's not you at all."

" _Well,_ _I'm sorry for trying to help!_ " I think frustratedly, wisely choosing to keep my mouth shut.

"Listen friends, it's obvious that the playwright did his research. I know it must hurt, but what you're seeing up there on that stage is the truth," Toph says.

Once the intermission is over, we go back and sit in our seats, seeing the set change to the Earth Kingdom.

"Well, here we are in the Earth Kingdom!" Actress Me says.

" I'd better have a look around to see if I can find an earthbending teacher!" Actress Aang declares, jumping into the air with her mini air glider prop, flying all around the theater before returning to the stage.

"I flew all over town, but I couldn't find a single earthbending master!"

Toph says in anticipation, "Here it comes..."

"You can't find an earthbending master in the sky, you have to look underground!" Act **or** Toph yells.

"Who are you?" Actress Aang asks.

Actor Toph spits and flexes.

"My name's Toph, because it sounds like tough, and that's just what I am!

"Wait a minute," Toph says, "I sound like a guy. A really buff guy."

"Well Toph, what you hear up there is the truth. It hurts, doesn't it?" I say, wanting to rub it in her face so badly.

"Are you kidding me? I wouldn't have cast it any other way! At least it's not a flying bald lady!"

Like before, the play runs through more of our introduction to Toph, before switching to when Azula drilled the Ba Sing Se wall.

"If she continues drilling, this wall will come down for sure!" Actress Aang exclaims.

"Haha, yes!" Actress Azula cackles, "Continue drilling! The city of Ba Sing Se can hide no longer!"

The scene cuts to Actor Jet jumping and waving his hook hands.

"No, Jet! What did they do to you?" Actress Aang asks, seemingly horrified.

"Must... serve... Earth King..." he says, swinging his hooks wildly, "Must... destroy!", before he falls down, seemingly dead.

The scene cut again to the crystal catacombs underneath Ba Sing Se.

"I have to admit Prince Zuko, I really find you attractive!" Actress Me says.

 _"Yuck!_ " I think, sticking my tongue out.

"You don't have to make fun of me," Actor Zuko replies.

"But I mean it! I've had eyes for you since the day you first captured me!"

Zuko and I scoot away from each other, very uncomfortable.

"Wait, I thought you were the Avatar's girl!"

Actress Me laughs.

"The Avatar? Why, he's like a little brother to me! I certainly don't think of him in a romantic way. Besides, how could he ever find out about... this?"

 _"Do I feel that way?"_ I ask myself.

 _"Or does Aang mean more to me?_ "

I hear someone get up from their seat as I continue to watch the play.

The scene changes once more to Actor Zuko standing between Actor Iroh and Actress Azula, asking him to choose between his nation or a life of treachery.

Actor Zuko walks toward Actor Iroh, but pushes him over and yells, "I hate you, Uncle! You smell, and I hate you for all time!"

I ask Zuko, "You didn't really say that, did you?"

He responds with, "I might as well have."

The scene changes to the showdown between Azula and us as I watch Actress Azula shoot lightning into Actress Aang.

"The Avatar is no more!"

The audience applaud loudly as the lights come back on, signaling another intermission.

"Does anyone know where Aang is?" I ask, noticing his absence.

"He left to get me fire gummies, like, ten minutes ago. And I'm still waiting!"

"I'm gonna check outside."

I see Aang standing alone on a balcony and walk up to him.

"Are you alright?" I inquire.

Aang says in an angry voice, "No, I'm not! I hate this play!" as he throws his hat on the ground.

"I know it's upsetting, but it sounds like you're overreacting."

"Overreacting? If I hadn't blocked my chakra, I'd probably be in the Avatar State right now!"

"Katara, did you really mean what you said in there?" Aang asks after a long silence.

"In where? What are you talking about?"

"On stage, when you said I was just like a... brother to you, and you didn't have feelings for me."

"I didn't say that. An actor said that."

 _"Besides, I'm not sure what I feel for you."_

"But it's true, isn't it? We kissed at the Invasion, and I thought we were gonna be together. But we're not."

"Aang, I don't know."

"Why don't you know?"

"Because, we're in the middle of a war, and, we have other things to worry about. This isn't the right time."

"Well, when is the right time?"

"Aang, I'm sorry, but right now I'm just a little confused."

I watch in slow motion as Aang tries to kiss me again.

"I just said I was confused! I'm going inside," I say as I walk away.

After the intermission, Aang joins the group again, thoroughly avoiding and ignoring me.

The scene had changed to the submarines during the Invasion, but to be honest, I wasn't really paying attention.

My mind wanders as I hear little glimpses of the script, signaling what had happened.

I start to focus once more on the play when I see the scene change to what is supposed to happen during the comet.

"With the energy harnessed from that comet, no one will be able to stop the Fire Nation!" Actor Ozai shouts.

"Father, Zuko and the Avatar are at the Palace. They're trying to stop you!" Actress Azula says as she enters.

"You take care of Zuko. I shall face the Avatar myself!"

Actor Zuko jumps on stage as a rope lowers Actress Aang.

"Aang! You find the Fire Lord, I'll hold her off!" Actor Zuko exclaims.

Actress Aang gets lifted off the stage once more.

"You are no longer my brother. You are an enemy!" hisses Actress Azula.

"No! I am the rightful heir to the throne!"

"We'll see!"

The two actors have a battle with blue and red streamers, before a flame-like prop covers Actor Zuko as he yells, "Honor!" before disappearing.

The scene changes to Ozai vs. Aang.

"So, you have mastered all four elements?"

"Yeah, and now you're going down!"

"No! It is you who are going down! You see, you are too late! The comet is already here, and I'm unstoppable!"

Actor Ozai fires a constant stream of red streamers at Actress Aang, before he sends a large red sheet towards her and she falls to the stage yelling, "Nooooooo!"

"It is over, Father. We've done it!" Actress Azula says triumphantly.

"Yes! We have done it! The dreams of my father, and my father's father, have now been realized! The world... is... mine!"

The audience, except for us six, burst into applause, as we walk away from the theater as fast as we can.

"That..." Zuko begins, "wasn't a good play."

"I'll say."

"No kidding."

"Horrible."

"You said it."

Sokka argued, "But the effects were decent!"

* * *

 **Fire Nation Coronation Plaza**

 **"Sozin's Comet: Part 4: Avatar Aang"**

 _"We did it. Aang defeated Ozai, and the war is finally over."_

It's time for Zuko's coronation, and Sokka and I go look for Dad in the Fire Nation Coronation plaza.

"Dad!" we yell when we spot him, run to him and giving him a hug.

"I heard what you two did. I am the proudest father in the world. And your mother would be proud, too."

The Kyoshi warriors approach us.

"There's my favorite warriors!" Sokka says, "I have to admit, I kind of missed the face paint. So how does it feel to be in uniform again?"

Ty Lee appears from behind, "It feels great!"

Sokka shields Suki and points his crutch at our former enemy.

"Careful, Suki! Ty Lee is pretending to be a Kyoshi Warrior again."

"It's okay. She's one of us now."

We all catch up on what has happened since we last saw the warriors, and before long, it's time for Zuko's coronation.

A gong rings as Zuko walks closer to the crowd, everyone cheering.

"Please. The real hero is the Avatar."

Aang walks up next to Zuko as the crowd cheers again.

"Today this war is finally over! I promised my uncle that I would restore the honor of the Fire Nation. And I will. The road ahead of us is challenging. A hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided. But with the Avatar's help, we can get it back on the right path and begin a new era of love and peace."

Zuko kneels as a Fire Sage approaches him with a headpiece.

The sage puts the headpiece into Zuko's top know as he declares, "All hail Fire Lord Zuko!", the crowd breaking into cheers as Zuko rises.

Later, we all go to the Jasmine dragon, Zuko serving us tea, Aang playing with Momo, Sokka painting a picture, and Iroh playing the tsungi horn.

 _"_ Zuko, stop moving! I'm trying to capture the moment," my brother says, "I wanted to do a painting, so we always remember the good times together."

"That's very thoughtful of you, Sokka," I respond as I look at Sokka's painting.

"Wait, why did you give me Momo's ears?"

"Those are your hair loopies!"

"At least you don't look like a boarcupine!" Zuko volleys back, "My hair is not that spiky!"

Mai says, "I look like a man."

"And why did you paint me firebending?" Suki asks.

"I thought it looked more exciting that way."

Momo jumps onto the table and starts chittering.

"Oh, you think you can do a better job, Momo?"

"Hey," Iroh says, pointing at the painting, "my belly's not that big anymore. I've really trimmed down."

"Well I think you all look perfect!" Toph declares cheerily, making us all laugh.

I see, out of the corner of my eye, Aang going out onto the balcony.

I follow him silently with a smile on my face and turn to him as he smiles back.

I put a hand on his shoulder, before pulling him into a hug.

We blush as we break apart, and look out at the setting sun.

 _"The war's over. You're not confused, you know you love him. It_ is _the right time now! Kiss him! Tell him you feel the same way!_ " my inner voice shouts.

I turn towards Aang as he turns to me and passionately kiss him, as he returns it.

 _"Gran Gran was right. Our destinies really are intertwined..._ "

* * *

 **Normal POV**

 **Present Day: July 19th, 1** **04 AG**

 **The Southern Air Temple**

The wedding had gone absolutely perfectly.

No rebel attacks, no exclamations of 'Oogies!" from Toph or Sokka, every little thread of the wedding dress right where it should be... It was bliss.

The two had first shared touching, meaningful vows, once in the privacy of the Southern Air Temple and once during the grand celebration at the Southern Water Tribe, along with a kiss, sealing the promise to be together forever. The toasts had gone as good as they could've with Toph and Sokka as some of the first to speak, and many embarrassing yet touching stories of the two had been shared.

As amazing as the celebration had been, there was still one piece left of the wedding, the more private, intimate part, the wedding _night_.

That too, had gone as perfectly as expected. The night had been filled with exploration, ecstasy, and pleasure, leaving both benders _very_ satisfied, both emotionally and physically by the end, which led to where the young couple was now.

Katara was lying on Aang's chest, their skin touching and limbs woven around each other so intricately that you couldn't tell where one began and the other ended.

She cuddled as close to him as possible, loving the way their bare bodies molded together, and giggled softly.

Her husband (oh how she loved being able to call him that) looked down at her, amused, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, and asked, running a hand through her hair, "What is it?"

She looked up at him and smiled, "Before we left the South Pole 4 years ago, Gran Gran had told me that 'our destinies were intertwined'. I didn't pay it much attention back then, but I think I finally realize what she meant."

Aang grinned and pressed a kiss to her hair.

"I should _hope_ that our destinies are intertwined. After all, we _are_ married."

Katara rolled her eyes and softly kissed the spot where his heart was beating rapidly, the atmosphere between them instantly becoming much more intimate and loving as they stared intently into each other's eyes.

"I love you so much, Aang," she whispered, pouring her heart and soul into each word while keeping their gazes connected, "My _husband_ , my **_love_** , my **_soulmate_**."

He softly caressed her cheek, watching the woman in front of him adoringly as she nuzzled his hand.

"I love you too, Katara, my _love_ , my ** _life_** , my **_Forever Girl_**."

Both benders had tears pooling in their eyes at the absolute sincerity and devotion of each other's words.

The two shared a soft smile, along with gentle, passionate, loving kiss, much like the one they had shared earlier that day after their vows, wrapping their arms around each other to stay as close as possible.

They murmured to each other, "Good night," before sharing a few more soft kisses, blowing out the lamp, and cuddling together as they drifted off into a deep slumber.

* * *

 **A/N: THE END! For the record, that took _ages_ to write (I finished just a few minutes before this was published) because I had to go through the ATLA transcripts, episodes, etc. to get the direct quoting. I thought that this was a pretty good fic too, probably one of my favorites and longest so make my effort worthwhile and review please! PRETTY PLEASE WITH CHERRIES ON TOP OF CUPCAKES ON TOP?**


	7. Day 7: Quirk

**Summary: Aang notices one of Katara's quirks.**

 **A/N: Okay, so, I changed this at the last minute and made it a different plot, but it's still pretty good. I'm thinking of publishing my original idea anyway, just not under this story.**

 **Disclaimer:**

 **Roses are red,**

 **Violets are violet,**

 **I don't own A:TLA,**

 **And I can't rhyme.**

* * *

At first, he didn't notice it. It was rare when he would witness the little quirk, and even then it was insignificant. After all, they were on the run in a world torn by war. Who had the time to appreciate little details here and there that don't mean anything?

However, after the war had ended, their little group had all the time in the world to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, be it ice cream or a fluffy mattress.

It was on one of the scarce instances where the GAang had to camp in the woods had Aang noticed his girlfriend's unusual actions.

If a stranger had walked in on the sight, it would look fairly normal. A teenaged girl camping in the woods and in her sleeping bag. Nothing unusual about that, right?

The Avatar, however knew better, for the strange lump and chittering coming from the girl's sleeping bag was actually an unfortunate Momo, embraced tightly by the waterbender.

As he started to notice over the span of a few months, when Katara was asleep, she would latch onto the nearest object within her reach and cuddle it tight, not letting go for as long as she could, even as she was unconscious, occasionally relaxing and tensing her grip as her dreams changed.

Of course, Aang never found it weird, just different. He reveled in his girlfriend's quirk of cuddling with something every time she went to bed, be it a surprised Momo, her blanket, or even the loose fabric of her sleeping bag. It brought him amusement to no end when she woke up disgruntled with a struggling lemur in her arms.

Then the two started living together in their house in Ba Sing Se. Sokka had slightly loosened up on Aang, due to the fact they had been dating for over two years, and let the sleep in the same bed with the condition that the door stayed open.

The young couple accepted Sokka's conditions, excited for the extra time they would be able to spend together before bed, and they decided to sleep together for the first time that night.

Later, when they were finally too tired to keep their eyes open after talking for 2 hours, the pair of benders went on opposite sides of the mattress, said their 'I love you's' and 'Goodnight's', and drifted into a deep, peaceful, much needed sleep.

The next morning, much to Katara's surprise, not very much to the airbender's, the couple had woken up with the 16-year old's face smothered by Aang's bare chest on his side of the bed, limbs wrapped tightly around each other.

"Mmmuh?" Katara mumbled groggily, her face buried in something that she didn't quite know the identity of.

She shook her head and rolled away from the unknown figure.

"Aang? What-" she asked, rubbing her eyes and looking questioningly at her boyfriend.

"You started snuggling with me sometime last night, around midnight," he responded with an amused smile.

"But we were on opposite sides..."

Aang raised his eyebrow.

"You haven't noticed?" he inquired.

"Haven't noticed what?"

The airbender shook his head, softly chuckling.

"Whenever you go to sleep, whether we're camping or in a normal bed, you always try to cuddle with something. You grab and hold it as tight as you can, and don't notice until morning. It's quite adorable, actually."

"Huh," Katara said in thought, "I suppose that explains why I wake up with Momo in my sleeping bag so often."

Aang laughed.

The waterbender then blushed.

"So..." she started meekly, "You didn't mind?"

"Me cuddling with you, I mean," she added as an afterthought.

The Avatar gave his girlfriend a strange look.

"Why would I mind?"

He scooted closer to the angel before him, engulfing her in his arms.

"It's actually quite comforting and relaxing to feel you wrapped against me," Aang said, kissing her forehead.

Katara giggled and accepted his embrace.

"Well," she started, "if I'm going to end up snuggling with you anyways, could we maybe-"

She hesitated, nervous of his reaction.

"Could we maybe fall asleep like this? In each other's arms?"

Aang touched his nose to hers, staring into her cerulean depths.

"I don't see why not," he said huskily, cupping her cheek, eyes half-lidded.

The waterbender closed her eyes and leaned in, their lips meeting in a passionate kiss.

Her boyfriend smiled against her, before sweeping his tongue over her bottom lip, begging for entrance.

Katara happily obliged, letting his tongue enter her mouth while they fought for dominance.

It was a dance of sorts, practiced over 2 years of kissing, each movement coordinated in organized chaos.

The two broke apart, panting for air, sharing a few more chaste and not-so-chaste kisses before snuggling together once more.

"This is nice," Katara giggled.

Aang kissed her hair while running his fingers through it, absentmindedly saying, "Mhm."

"Katara," Sokka bursted through the door, effectively ruining the mood, "Come on, we have to go to the market for food! We're out of meat!"

* * *

After coming back from the market and a few other errands, the sun had set and it was time for bed.

It had been a long, tiring day, and a nice long bath was just what the waterbender needed.

She turned on the tap, letting the water get warm, and undressed.

"Aah," she said, sliding in, "that's the stuff."

She spent about 20 more minutes in there, the warm water effectively relaxing her body, before getting dressed, doing her hair, and exiting the bathroom.

When Katara got out, covered only by her bindings as nightclothes, she was greeted with Aang on her bed, smiling at her.

She smiled back, hung up her towel to dry, and leaped into his outstretched arms, laying her head on his bare, toned chest.

The young airbender wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her as close to him as possible, and kissed her hair.

"Shall we get under the under the sheets?" he asked gallantly, gesturing vigorously with his hands.

His girlfriend giggled.

"We shall!" she said with equal grandeur.

The couple broke apart for a few moments, allowing them to put the covers over their bodies, before going back to cuddling.

Aang kissed Katara's nose.

"I love you, Sweetie," he said with a goofy smile on his face.

She smiled back and gave him a brief kiss on the lips, putting her head in the crook of his neck and wrapping their legs together.

"I love you too, Aang. Good night."

She yawned.

The Avatar used his airbending to blow out the lamp.

"Good night," he said as he soothingly ran a hand through her hair, staring lovingly at her content smile.

* * *

The next morning, when the two got up in each other's arms, it was Aang's turn to be surprised, because his girlfriend had gotten up a few moments before him, and was groggily rubbing her eyes.

"Aang?" she asked.

"Hmm, Katara?"

"You're much more comfortable than Momo," she said sleepily, as she went back to snuggling with his chest.

* * *

 **A/N: The End! I laughed out loud at the last line. XD**


	8. Day 8: Desire

**A/N: Ok, I just want to start off this chapter by giving a HUGE shoutout to Ashley Barbosa, ChanceC, and Tcam Ninja who have been leaving reviews that really brighten my day. YOU GUYS ARE INCREDIBLE and thank you SO much for taking the time to leave a review! Anyway, the story timeline for this is 8 years after the war. Here is the timeline I'm using:**

 **July 19th, 100 AG - Kataang is official**

 **July 19th, 104 AG - Katara and Aang get married**

 **November 108 AG - NOW in the story**

 **November 11th, 108 AG - Aang turns 21**

 **December 12th, 108 AG - Katara turns 23**

 **January 18th, 109 AG - Bumi is born**

 **February 15th, 114 AG - Kya is born**

 **March 23rd, 119 AG - Tenzin is born**

 **On with the story!**

 **Disclaimer: Bryke own A:TLA.**

* * *

Katara tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.

She looked down at her stomach, evidence of the child living inside, at huffed in exasperation.

The mother-to-be had been trying to sleep for _hours,_ but of course, her unborn child could not allow that to happen.

"You're going to be keeping me up when you're born anyway," the waterbender thought silently, pouting at her baby bump.

The fetus inside her merely responded with more kicks, causing the pregnant woman to wince.

"I wonder if there are any mangoes in the kitchen," she thought.

Katara got out of bed and went to search for mangoes in the pantry, smiling with delight as she found the yellow fruit.

Peeling it and cutting it into cubes, she walked back to bed, moaning softly with satisfaction as it quelled her craving.

Positive the baby would let her sleep now, she lied back down on her side, sighing as she felt her husband's arms reflexively wrap around her.

* * *

Aang rubbed his eyes groggily as he noticed his wife peacefully sleeping with a smile on her face, a rare instance these days.

He spotted the empty bowl on the nightstand, some mango juice residue left in it, and decided that, if he couldn't go back to sleep, he would at least make a treat in the morning which Katara could enjoy.

The airbender slowly got out of bed as not to wake up the waterbender, and got to work, quietly making a few fruit pies before covering them and putting them back in the pantry.

Thoroughly exhausted from his late-night work, he went back to bed with his glowing Forever Girl, resting his arms on her swollen belly.

* * *

The autumn sun peeked through the thin golden curtains, bathing the young couple's bed in light and warmth.

Katara squinted at the offending brightness, slowly but surely waking up as she yawned.

She placed her hands on her protruding 7-months pregnant abdomen, feeling the baby give her a high five.

"Hungry again?" the expecting mother whispered, laughing softly as she felt rapid-fire kicks of agreement.

She got up, stretched her tense limbs, and made her way to the kitchen, determined to find some of the mangoes that she had been craving the night before.

"Let's see here," the waterbender murmured, moving aside some containers in the pantry.

"Hey, Sweetie."

Katara slightly jumped, startled.

Her husband gave her an amused, albeit sleepy, smile and wrapped his arms around her.

"What're you doing up so early?" Aang yawned.

"Cravings again?" he guessed.

The 22-soon-to-be-23 year old nodded, turning around and resuming her quest for the yellow fruit.

"Sweetie, do we have any mangoes left?" she asked, her search proving futile.

"Mangoes, mangoes," the airbender said in thought.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, recalling what he had done the night before.

"Yes?"

"Well," Aang started, the waterbender frowning since her mangoes were nowhere to be found, "Last night I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep, and I noticed your bowl, so I decided to make you a few mango fruit pies."

Katara's face brightened, her disappointment disappearing as a smile made its way to her lips.

"Where, where, where?" she asked all hyped up, shifting boxes in the pantry to find the new object of her craving.

The Avatar chuckled at his wife's antics before reaching around her to grab a pie tin covered in plastic wrap.

"Right here, Sweetie."

He took out the golden-brown pies, sat Katara down at the table, got a knife from one of the drawers, and used his firebending to heat the pie, before cutting his Forever Girl a slice and feeding her.

"Say 'aah'," Aang said, holding the fork in front of her mouth.

Katara obliged, humming happily as the sweet delicacy satisfied her tastebuds and made its way to her stomach.

The airbender grinned at his wife's sound of pleasure and gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

"Mmm," she mumbled, smiling into the kiss and gently running her tongue against his lower lip, deepening it and begging for entrance.

Her husband granted her access, fighting for dominance while rubbing her pregnant belly lovingly.

He tangled his hands in her long, unruly hair, loving the way it felt between his fingers, and tasted her lips, loving the addition of faint mango as the waterbender nipped at him, just soft enough to not draw blood.

The two broke apart, staring into each other's eyes intensely, before sharing a few more chaste kisses and hugging.

Katara sighed, "I love you, Sweetie."

She took another bite and said after swallowing, "Thank you for the fruit pies."

Aang combed her hair with his fingers.

"I love you too, Sweetie. And you're welcome."

Suddenly, the pregnant waterbender yelped in surprise.

Her husband's eyes widened in concern.

"Sweetie, you okay?"

Katara laughed weakly.

"Yep. Our baby is just expressing his gratitude for the pies."

Aang chuckled and kissed her stomach repeatedly lovingly.

"She," he corrected.

"He."

"She."

"He."

"She."

"He."

"She."

Katara rolled her eyes.

"You always have to get the last word, don't you?" she asked rhetorically.

"Yep!" the airbender said cheerfully, "Besides, we'll see soon enough that _I'm_ right."

"Sure, sure."

She sighed and leaned against her husband, content with his hands rubbing her swollen stomach.

"Aang?"

"Hmm?"

"Can you feed me more of that pie?" she asked, putting on her best pout.

Aang kissed her forehead and kept feeding her the delicacy, satisfied with being able to make her happy.

"Aah," she said as she finished the gooey dessert.

Katara suddenly turned around, feeling the craving for something else, and gave her soulmate a passionate kiss, running her hands all over his body.

"Mmm," he mumbled against her lips, surprised at the unprovoked display of affection.

The Avatar chuckled as they broke away and whispered in her ear.

"Have a desire for something else?"

He picked her up bridal style and carried his wife to their room before she could reply, making her giggle as he gave her wet kisses on every bit of skin he could reach.

Needless to say, the two didn't come out for a _very_ long time.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, I know I've been updating really late, but that's because I finish the stories _the day_ I publish them which has been the case for Days 6, 7, and 8 but tomorrow will be on time and so will Wednesday's.**


	9. Day 9: Midnight

**Summary: Katara and Aang do some midnight waterbending during another full moon.**

 **A/N: Day 9: Midnight! Only one more day left! For the timeline, this is about 2 years after the war so Aang is almost 15 and Katara is almost 17 but currently, they are both 14 and 16.**

 **Disclaimer: I own this much percent of Avatar: The Last Airbender : (3^3) - (5^2) + 3x - y + (1^0) - 2x +(1047/349) - (-y) - (6^0) - x - 10 + (135/27) Yeah, I'm a nerd.**

* * *

Katara sighed and groaned in frustration, her attempts to sleep proving futile in the light of the full moon.

It wasn't as if this hadn't happened before, because it certainly had. However, all those other times, the desire to waterbend with her heightened ability was quickly quelled by either the fact that there wasn't much water nearby, or the desire to sleep. Tonight, however, was different. It might've been something planetary, or perhaps the fact that there was an ocean only a small distance away, but the calling was much more powerful. It was as if it was speaking to her, begging for her to use this night to her advantage.

The urge too strong to resist, Katara got out of bed and quietly made her way to the sandy beach in front of Zuko's vacation home on Ember Island. She took off her pajamas, put them on the shore, and waded out into the water in her bindings. She floated there for some time, relishing in the feeling of being surrounded by her element.

* * *

 _Creeaaak! Crrreeeeaaak!_

Aang heard the floorboards of the house softly creak and woke up abruptly.

"Is someone sleepwalking or something?" he thought.

He peeked his head cautiously out of his room's door to see a shadowy figure coming down the stairs towards the house's entrance. As the figure opened the door and was bathed in moonlight, the teenaged airbender saw that it was his girlfriend, Katara.

He watched her quietly close the door and go outside.

"What could she be doing?" Aang wondered.

Wanting to be stealthy, Aang crept out of the house in just his pants and underwear a few minutes after Katara had gone outside. When he got outside, he was greeted with a rather strange sight. He saw Katara drifting aimlessly in her underwear, very much awake. He gently closed the wooden door and swam up to meet her.

* * *

"Aaah," Katara sighed as she swam, "this is nice."

Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her in the sand and swiveled her head, expecting to see a foe.

"Katara?" her boyfriend asked, "What're doing out here so late?"

The waterbender in question faltered a little, shocked to see him standing there.

"W-waterbending," she stammered with a little hesitation.

Aang grinned and swam up to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and asked her, "Mind if I join?"

Katara smiled and nodded, breaking away from him so that they were able to pass the liquid orb between each other, just like old times.

The two bended in silence, basking in each other's and the full moon's presence.

"Katara?"

"Mmm?"

"Did you have trouble sleeping?"

Katara blushed at how he could read like a book and nodded.

"Why?" he asked.

She answered simply, "The full moon."

The Avatar stopped passing around the water orb and went behind his girlfriend, pulling her close and nuzzling her.

Katara tilted her head to give him better access as she interlocked their fingers.

He said quietly, "What..."

Aang kissed her shoulder.

"...did..."

He kissed her again in the crook of her neck.

"...the moon..."

Another kiss.

"...do?"

One final kiss on her jawline.

Katara shivered and whispered, "It called me."

At Aang's confused look, she elaborated, "To waterbend."

"You've never had a problem before," he murmured.

"Too strong this time."

Aang slightly nodded and moved his lips to nibble her earlobe.

He then whispered, "Is it telling you to use your bending as much as possible when it's at its peak?"

Katara nodded.

Aang grinned and said in a soft sing-song voice, "And I'm sure this simple exercise isn't helping much..."

His girlfriend shook her head and asked, slightly frustrated, "What are you trying to get at?"

Aang kissed her cheek, ran as fast as he could away from her, and doused her in a tremendous tidal wave.

When Katara finally emerged, spluttering and slightly angry from how he had teased her before, she was just met with his teasing question, "Wanna spar?"

The waterbending master glared and dove into the water, swimming away from him so she could catch him off guard.

"Now, now, where'd you go?" her former pupil asked.

Katara darted through the water so that she was behind him, making sure that her feet never touched the sandy seafloor, lest Aang use his seismic vision to pinpoint her location.

She started waterbending a wave that remained hidden by the water until it got close enough and...

 _Splash!_

The wave had thoroughly doused Aang, having him spitting out seawater as he came up for air.

"So that's how you wanna play, huh? Hiding and using sneak attacks?" the Avatar glanced around into the dark water, "Well, two can play at that game."

He took a deep breath and sank beneath the ocean surface. His eyes scanned the sight before him, looking for any sign of movement before he saw it out of the corner of his eye. A quick glimpse of a foot and bubbles surrounding it had caught his attention.

He swiveled around and was greeted with the icy blue depths of his girlfriend's eyes, her body molding against his, her pink, soft, luscious lips painfully close to his. Aang felt Katara wrap her arms around his neck, pressing herself closer and closer until their noses were touching. She gave him a seductive smile and softly kissed him, gentle but passionate, until she broke away too soon, leaving him wanting more.

She kept her distance, wanting to drive him crazy with need, as she trailed his lips across his neck and shoulder, moving her hands all over his chest and torso. Her oxygen starting to run out, Katara made eye contact and pointed upwards. The two broke the surface of the water, taking a deep breath of air, as they kept giving each other soft kisses, only this time, in the air.

"Katara?"

"Yes, Sweetie?"

"For real though, can we have a sparring match where neither of us is hiding underwater?"

Katara laughed, "Sure, but _only_ waterbending."

Aang pouted but relented, "Fine."

The two stepped away from each other until they were about 10 feet away.

"First one to kiss the other wins?" the waterbender asked.

Aang grinned, "Sure!"

They bowed to each other simultaneously and then got into their respective waterbending stances.

Katara, knowing that he would never be the first to attack, true to his Air Nomad nature, started off easy with a water tentacle, slicing through the air towards him.

Aang dodged the attack and then got into the 'Octopus Formation', having multiple water whips for both defense and offense. He lashed out at his sparring partner with 4 of the water tendrils at once, each of the tips frozen, which Katara agilely dodged.

She bended up a wave from underneath her, giving her the higher ground and sped towards the young airbender.

Seeing the attack coming rapidly at him, Aang split the wave in two, forcing her to regroup her attack.

Katara turned around and molded the wave into multiple ice columns, allowing her to jump and dodge each water tentacle that he whipped at her.

"What can I do to stop him?" she wondered.

Meanwhile, Aang was wondering the same thing as he continued to attack Katara with water tentacles, until a lightbulb flashed in his head.

Moving with careful precision, the 14 year old Avatar thrust out a whip towards the ice column Katara was on, while lowering the next column, so that as she was falling, he had enough time to capture and kiss her.

Flawlessly executing the combination, Aang wrapped a rope of water tightly around her waist, arms, and legs, and brought her in front of him. Painfully slowly, he leaned in and...

...realized too late that Katara had managed to free her hands and send a wave of water towards the two and and turn it into ice. Then, using the same technique she had used against Azula, she moved towards him through the cold water, cupped his cheek, and kissed him firmly, before melting the frozen block and shivering in his arms.

Aang pouted as he ran his hands up and down her body, trying to warm both of their cold, chilly bodies with firebending in the light of the full moon.

"Huhuhuhuh," Katara said, shaking, "Bindings and ice do _not_ go well together."

The young airbender nodded, "You said it," as he gave her soft, chaste kisses, hugging her tightly.

"You won," he said.

"Mhm," she hummed, the shivering slightly less for the both of them.

They were both quiet for a while before the 14-year old broke the silence.

"Ready to go back to bed?"

Katara nodded, the idea of the warm house sounding heavenly.

"Aang?" she asked as they got dressed.

"Yes, Sweetie?"

The 16-year old pulled on her pajama shorts, "Will you cuddle with me tonight?"

Her boyfriend smiled and said in response, 'Of course."

The two silently walked back to the house, making sure to enter just as quietly as when they went out and walked to Katara's room. She laid down first, and then opened her arms, inviting Aang into her embrace as the airbender readily accepted. They cuddled together, sharing each other's body heat until they both had completely stopped shivering.

Aang kissed her forehead, "I love you, Sweetie. Goodnight."

Katara sighed in contentment, "I love you too, Aang. Sweet dreams."

As the two drifted off into a deep sleep.

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 **A/N: That was cute, you have to admit. Review!**


	10. Day 10: Sacred

**Summary: Aang and Katara talk about how they're going to go about their wedding.**

 **A/N: LAST DAY OF KATAANG WEEK! NUUUU! So, this is the last prompt: Sacred. I will be finishing Kataang Week 2017 too (eventually) but I won't be updating FETL for a while because I'm on vacation at Niagara Falls for a week. I'll try to work on it but it probably won't be resumed until I get back. This is my interpretation of what an Air Nomad wedding would look like. Anyways, here's the final Kataang Week 2018 oneshot! 104 words.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own A:TLA.**

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"Here we are!" the 16 year old airbender said to his wife-to-be.

Katara grinned at her fiance as they landed in the Southern Air Temple's courtyard.

The engaged couple had come to the Air Temple so that they could have a traditional Air Nomad Wedding with some Water Tribe traditions mixed in as well.

Aang picked his Forever Girl up bridal style, and airbended them to the ground to soften their landing before also bringing down their belongings.

The two heroes of the war were greeted with numerous Air Acolytes, offering to take their bags and items to help them settle into their new home.

After dropping off everything in their new room, the tattooed boy decided that he wanted to take a walk since his Avatar duties left him unable to visit any of the Air Temples since their restoration

"Shall we explore?" he asked Katara with grandeur.

The waterbender giggled and took his outstretched hand.

"We shall!" she said with equal over exaggeration.

The two walked hand in hand around the temple, marveling at how it was practically an exact replica of the original after the reconstruction project.

After going over almost the whole temple, they came to a halt at two tall doors, similar to the ones in front of the statue room.

"Aang? What's this?" Katara asked her boyfriend, turning towards him in confusion.

Aang grinned at her and airbended the lock.

"You're about to find out."

"Whoa," the waterbender whispered in amazement.

As the doors opened, the couple were greeted with an incredible sight.

The room was vast, at least the size of Republic City's courtroom, with little balconies jutting out of solid marble on the wall. In the front of the room were some steps, a mini tornado in the middle of the platform, and a clear glass dome above it, letting the sun light up the swirling wind.

"What is this place?"

Katara turned to Aang in awe.

The airbender grinned at her.

"This is where the Air Nomads would get married. It was considered the most sacred of rituals, other than the mastery of airbending."

"How did it work?"

The Avatar pointed to the little balconies.

"See those? When someone got married, all of the monks and nuns from the temples each to-be-married person came from would bear witness while standing on those."

He then pointed to the tornado.

"That tornado has been spinning since the beginning of airbending. It was created by the spirits and nothing can stop it from spinning. It's a sacred symbol for the Air Nomads. It's supposed to symbolize that your love for your spouse should last forever."

Aang gazed at her adoringly and gave her a peck on the nose as Katara leaned against him, embracing the love of her life.

"It's one of the few things that still hasn't been touched by the Fire Nation," he said with a soft smile.

"You're probably the only person not from the Air Nomads that has ever been in here."

The waterbender smiled and kissed her husband-to-be on the cheek.

"What was the ceremony like?"

Aang rubbed his head sheepishly.

"I've only heard how it works once but I'll try my best to explain it."

Katara stared intently at him, eager to know more about his past and culture.

"First, the groom and bride walk in together in their formal Air Nomad robes."

"Then, the head monk and nun of whichever temple the two are from will be at the front with them near the ceremonial tornado."

"The bride and groom will recite their vows, promising to treat each other well and with respect, and then go around the tornado 5 times, the number of arrow points on their bodies."

"Finally, in the night, after the," the airbender blushed, " _consummation_ occurs, the two will tattoo each other on opposite sides of the body as the final step of pledging their love for one another."

Katara looked at him, confused.

"What will they tattoo on each other?"

Aang scrunched his eyebrows in thought.

"If I remember correctly, Yin and Yang. Normally, Yin represents women and Yang represents men, but since the idea is showing your love for the other person, the groom will get Yin tattooed on them and the bride will get Yang tattooed on them."

"Hmm," the waterbender said in thought.

"What if two people of the same sex want to get married?" she asked her husband-to-be.

"Well," he started, "it was pretty much the same as a marriage between a man and woman only, instead on the Yin-Yang tattoo, they would choose a different design and get halves of the design, as long as the design choice symbolized their love and devotion for one another."

Katara smiled.

"I see."

"Are _we_ going to get the traditional tattoos?" she inquired.

Her fiance stammered, blushing, "W-well u-uh, only i-if you w-want to?"

She giggled at how nervous he was.

"I'd love to."

Katara wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a slow, sweet kiss.

"I love you," she whispered as their lips met.

Aang put his hands around her waist and cupped her cheek, holding her close even as they broke apart.

"There is one thing though," the waterbender said quietly.

"Mmm?" he asked, taking in her angelic features.

"You'd have to show me the tattooing process if I'm going to do it to you..." she trailed off, absentmindedly drawing patterns on his exposed chest.

The young Avatar chuckled and kissed the top of her head.

"I'll show you but we also have to get you ceremonial robes."

Katara smiled slyly and leaned in close to his ear.

"And if I already had them?"

Aang raised his eyebrow and looked at her in question.

She giggled and replied, "I found some of the robes from the nuns around the other Air Temples, along with some plans and sketches for their design. While you were away on 'Avatar duties', I created an exact replica and was going to surprise you with it."

The airbender's eyes widened.

"C-can I see them?" he asked shyly.

His fiancee nodded and took his hand, leading the Avatar to their room.

Katara went through a few of her bags before pulling out a dresslike ceremonial robe made of pale yellow and vibrant orange fabric.

Aang tentatively reached out to touch it, marveling at how closely it resembled his people's clothes a century ago.

"A-are you okay with it?"

He looked at her weirdly, grinning.

"Why wouldn't I be okay with it?"

"I mean, you got so angry at the Air Acolytes after they tattooed themselves..." she trailed off.

The monk shook his head and gave her a quick kiss.

"That was different. This, I just, I have no words."

Aang gave his girlfriend a much longer, much deeper kiss.

"You're incredible."

Katara giggled and hugged him.

"Now, about the tattoos, where do you want to do them?"

The airbender blushed.

"Well, since we're going to be putting them on each other," he cleared his throat, "after the _consummation_ , I was thinking that we do them somewhere where only we'll ever be able to see..."

"Like?" his future wife said, smirking at him.

"U-uh-uh," he stammered.

Katara gave him a kiss on the cheek and put him out of his misery.

"Inner thigh?" she asked.

Aang blushed again while nodding.

The waterbender wrapped her arms around him and pulled him to the bed as they fell on it.

The two sat in silence for a while, wondering what it would be like to be married, before the young Avatar spoke.

"Sweetie?"

"Yes, Aang?"

"Thank you."

"For?"

She looked up at him, tilting her head slightly.

Aang gave her a peck on the lips.

"For taking the time to do all this for our wedding, and being willing to add in _my_ sacred traditions."

Katara smiled at him.

The Air Nomad whispered to her, "I love you so much."

She gave him a short, sweet kiss before murmuring back, "I love you too, Aang, I love you too."

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 **A/N: So the idea behind that was that they were talking about _sacred_ traditions. Yeah. Also, I now have a tumblr where I am thebakingqueen5 (someone already took thebakingqueen) and I will be posting some of my stories there too.**


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